Salt Lake City-Murray → St. Louis

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Salt Lake City-Murray to St. Louis is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.9 to 95.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $831/mo.

-$1,961
BLS median salary lower in St. Louis
229 to 463
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
20.3:1 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: 100.9 → 95.1
Rent Delta: -$831/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 6% lower cost of living
  • + $831/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 100.9 to 95.1, so each dollar covers more in St. Louis (ratio 0.94). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $831/mo ($9,972/yr) from $1,747 in Salt Lake City-Murray 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). Salt Lake City-Murray is #342/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,961 lower ($70,035 → $68,074). Labor-market size: 790,120 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,311,920 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Missouri scores 68 (C, #12/51) vs Utah at 53 (D, #40/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Salt Lake City-Murray
St. Louis
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 100.9
RPP 95.1
St. Louis
Rent (2BR)
$1,747/mo
$916/mo
St. Louis
Wages
$70,035
$68,074
Salt Lake City-Murray
Crime
229 per 100K
463 per 100K
Salt Lake City-Murray
Schools
20.3:1
12.2:1
St. Louis
Childcare
$11,828/yr
N/A
Tie
Environment
1172 violations
6737 violations
Salt Lake City-Murray

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 · Utah
53 D #40/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
83
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
0
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 Salt Lake City-Murray to see what you'd need to earn in St. Louis to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in St. Louis
-

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