2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to St. Louis, MO-IL

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs for a move from Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to St. Louis, MO-IL.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$62,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-37.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$110
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$16,968
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$17,078/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

COL 162.7
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,780
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,400
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$30,216
Discretionary Cash Flow $44,184
Target Market
Destination Location

St. Louis, MO-IL

COL 102.3
Gross Parity Income $62,900
Federal Income Tax -$5,368
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$4,812
State Income Tax -$1,981
Local / City Tax -$629
Net Annual Take-Home $50,110
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,248
Discretionary Cash Flow $36,862

EPI family budgets put living costs 37.1% lower in St. Louis, MO-IL than in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, so $100,000 in Boston goes about as far as $62,900 in St. Louis. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $2,518 a month in Boston and $1,104 in St. Louis, $16,968 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $110 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in St. Louis. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $17,078 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $66,620 in Boston and $49,990 in St. Louis.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Boston-Cambridge-Newton (Monthly) St. Louis (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$2,518$1,104-$1,414-56.2%
Food & Groceries$418$373-$45-10.8%
Transportation$1,080$1,018-$62-5.7%
Healthcare$413$427+$14+3.4%
Other Necessities$832$411-$421-50.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,133$2,124-$9-0.4%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,414/mo (-56.2%)
Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $2,518/mo St. Louis: $1,104/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,659/mo (-55.2%)
Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $3,008/mo St. Louis: $1,349/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$13.34/hr (-37.1%)
Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $35.97/hr St. Louis: $22.63/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$10.36/hr (-33.0%)
Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $31.43/hr St. Louis: $21.07/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Boston-Cambridge-Newton Median St. Louis Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$133,800$93,140-$40,660 (-30.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$106,180$83,180-$23,000 (-21.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$166,090$129,030-$37,060 (-22.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$100,150$78,880-$21,270 (-21.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$135,640$101,100-$34,540 (-25.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$114,990$100,510-$14,480 (-12.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$209,780$158,780-$51,000 (-24.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$214,960$167,130-$47,830 (-22.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$79,910$77,170-$2,740 (-3.4%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$136,760$106,200-$30,560 (-22.3%)View Dossier
Financial AnalystFinanceFinance$117,520$99,950-$17,570 (-15.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$206,610$123,870-$82,740 (-40.0%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to St. Louis, MO-IL Relocation FAQs

About $62,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (162.7 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 102.3 in St. Louis, MO-IL, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to St. Louis, MO-IL: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: St. Louis, MO-IL to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Relocation: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to St. Louis, MO-IL Overview

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to St. Louis, MO-IL: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to St. Louis, MO-IL compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in St. Louis, MO-IL to match $100,000 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?

About $62,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (162.7 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 102.3 in St. Louis, MO-IL, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is St. Louis, MO-IL cheaper than Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 37.1% lower in St. Louis, MO-IL than in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.