Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach → St. Louis

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach to St. Louis is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 114.2 to 95.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $1,417/mo.

-$251
BLS median salary lower in St. Louis
210 to 463
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.8:1 to 12.2:1
NCES student-teacher ratio

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 114.2 → 95.1
Rent Delta: -$1,417/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 19% lower cost of living
  • + $1417/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Better student-teacher ratios

Cons of Moving

  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 114.2 to 95.1, so each dollar covers more in St. Louis (ratio 0.83). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $1,417/mo ($17,004/yr) from $2,333 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach to $916 in St. Louis.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. St. Louis sits #182 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach is #361/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $251 lower ($68,325 → $68,074). Labor-market size: 2,720,630 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,311,920 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Florida 62 (C, #23/51) vs Missouri 68 (C, #12/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach
St. Louis
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 114.2
RPP 95.1
St. Louis
Rent (2BR)
$2,333/mo
$916/mo
St. Louis
Wages
$68,325
$68,074
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach
Crime
210 per 100K
463 per 100K
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach
Schools
17.8:1
12.2:1
St. Louis
Childcare
$10,505/yr
N/A
Tie
Environment
2736 violations
6737 violations
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Florida
62 C #23/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
67
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
12
Destination state · Missouri
68 C #12/51
Income tax
82
Property tax
68
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
80

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach to see what you'd need to earn in St. Louis to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in St. Louis
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026