Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Moving to Houston looks like a financial upgrade — better income-to-cost ratio.
Houston has a cost index of 97 vs 89 for St Louis. Houston is 8 points more expensive overall. Monthly rent goes from $1,326 to $1,542 (+16%).
If you earn the St Louis median of $55,279, you would need approximately $60,248/year in Houston to maintain equivalent purchasing power, based on the cost index difference of 8 points (9%).
Median rent in St Louis is $1,326/month. In Houston it is $1,542/month — a difference of +$216 per month, or $2,592 per year.
Moving to Houston looks like a financial upgrade — better income-to-cost ratio. The salary equivalent to maintain your current lifestyle is $60,248/year in Houston. The median income there is $62,894.
Estimated monthly essentials total $3,046 in St Louis vs $3,393 in Houston — a difference of +$347/month (+$4,164/year).
The median home price in Houston is $261,976 vs $179,917 in St Louis. With 20% down and a 6.5% rate, the estimated monthly mortgage payment is $1,325 in Houston vs $910 in St Louis.