St. Louis, MI Cost Of Living

St. Louis cost of living index

In the event that the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used. Each cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. If the amount is below 100, it is lower than the national average. If the amount is above 100, it is higher than the national average.
Index	St. Louis	Michigan	National
Cost of living index	82	88	100
Index	St. Louis	Michigan	National
Goods & Services index	97	93	100
Groceries index	97	91	100
Health care index	95	94	100
Housing index	47	74	100
Transportation index	106	103	100
Utilities index	87	91	100

A general overview of the cost of living index for St. Louis, MI is displayed above. In St. Louis, MI, the overall cost of living index is 82, which is 7% lower than the Michigan average and 18% lower than the U.S. average. The following categories are used to calculate the overall cost of living index: goods/services (33%), housing (30%), groceries (13%), utilities (10%), transportation (9%) and health care (5%). From the list, it is clear that the categories of goods/services and housing are responsible for the largest portions of the overall cost of living index. As a general rule, everyday goods and services provide an accurate measure of the general cost of goods in any given city. In the case of St. Louis, MI, the city's goods and services are 5% higher than the Michigan average and 3% lower than the U.S. average.

Did you know?

The cost of living in St. Louis is 7% lower than the Michigan average.
The cost of living in St. Louis is 18% lower than the national average.
The cost of housing in St. Louis is 53% lower than the national average.
Michigan general sales tax is 18% higher than the national average.
Michigan state income tax is 91% higher than the national average.

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Salary Calculator

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Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Using the salary calculator lets you compare the salary you earn in St. Louis, MI to what it is in other cities. It will let you know what your earnings would have to be in another city to have the same standard of living, as determined by the cost of living in each city. For example, if the cost of living in the area you want to move to is higher than the cost of living in St. Louis, MI, you have to earn a higher income in order to still have the same standard of living. To operate the St. Louis, MI salary calculator, put in the name of the other city, then move the slider to the point that represents the current income. The salary calculator will take care of the rest and tell you how much more or less you must earn in the new city. A Total breakdown of the cost of living is also provided.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$53,681	$4,473	$1,252	$1,611
Renters	$25,227	$2,102	$589	$757

If you want to find a good determining factor for the cost of living and the general affordability of housing in St. Louis, MI, all you must look at is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In St. Louis, MI, the median monthly income is $53,681 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $1,252 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $25,227, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $589 on monthly rental expenses.

Michigan Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Michigan	6%	6%

Michigan Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Michigan	4.25%	4.25%

The Michigan sales tax and Michigan income tax rates should definitely be considered when determining the overall cost of living in St. Louis, MI. Sales taxes are taxes that are imposed onto goods and services sold. Sales taxes do vary by state and can range from no tax at all to upwards of 7%. The Michigan sales tax is 6% and the maximum surtax is 6%. Income tax is the tax imposed on income by the government. The income tax rates will vary by state and will also increase or decrease depending on the corresponding tax bracket. State income tax rates can range from anywhere from no tax at all to more than 9%. The Michigan income tax rates range from 4.25% to 4.25%.

Goods & Services

Item	St. Louis	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$19.39	$16.09	20.5%
Beauty Salon	$37.45	$37.33	0.3%
Toothpaste	$2.04	$2.45	16.6%
Shampoo	$0.81	$1.00	19.0%
Movie	$10.74	$10.28	4.5%
Bowling	$3.26	$4.93	34.0%

Groceries

Item	St. Louis	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.62	$3.80	4.7%
Fried Chicken	$1.26	$1.40	9.8%
Milk	$1.59	$2.01	21.0%
Potatoes	$3.08	$3.01	2.3%
Pizza	$9.99	$9.89	1.1%
Beer	$8.30	$8.90	6.8%

Health Care

Item	St. Louis	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$91.22	$102.16	10.7%
Doctor	$97.56	$108.36	10.0%
Dentist	$88.11	$92.53	4.8%
Ibuprofen	$8.56	$9.28	7.8%
Lipitor	$448.91	$425.82	5.4%

Housing

Item	St. Louis	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$73,900.00	$184,700.00	60.0%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,008.81	$1,202.44	16.1%
Apartment Rent	$594.00	$949.00	37.4%

Transportation

Item	St. Louis	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.49	$2.24	10.9%
Tire Balancing	$44.77	$46.29	3.3%

Utilities

Item	St. Louis	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$169.08	$165.96	1.9%
Phone	$20.00	$28.68	30.3%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Breckenridge, MI	1,160	81	-19%
Merrill, MI	717	82	-18%
Alma, MI	9,222	83	-17%
Ithaca, MI	2,846	83	-17%
Shepherd, MI	1,558	85	-15%
St. Louis, MI	7,302	82	-18%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Nebraska City, NE	7,303	83	-17%
Devils Lake, ND	7,299	85	-15%
Palmyra, NJ	7,299	110	10%
Corbin, KY	7,306	76	-24%
Dayton, TN	7,308	84	-16%
St. Louis, MI	7,302	82	-18%

Source: The St. Louis, MI cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2017.

St. Louis, MI Cost of Living