Austin, TX vs St. Louis, MO
Simple answer
You'd likely save $468 a month in St. Louis.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is Census rent. Census median gross rent differs by $630, with Austin higher.
Texas has no tax on wages. Missouri taxes wages at rates up to 4.70%. Combined sales tax differs by 0.2 percentage points, higher in Missouri. The effective property tax gap is 0.52 percentage points, higher in Texas.
After a move from Texas to Missouri, these benefit results change for a family of four at $40,000 and a single adult at $18,000: Marketplace premium tax credits, Medicaid and CHIP.
A $75,000 salary in Austin lines up with about $72,722 in St. Louis on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Austin
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,817
- HUD area
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,784
- All-items price parity
- 98.1
- Goods price parity
- 93.8
- Utilities price parity
- 82.0
- Mean commute
- 28.2 min
- Median household income
- $99,897
St. Louis
St. Louis, MO-IL
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,349
- HUD area
- St. Louis, MO-IL HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,154
- All-items price parity
- 95.1
- Goods price parity
- 100.0
- Utilities price parity
- 69.9
- Mean commute
- 25.4 min
- Median household income
- $81,679
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$72,722
Salary in St. Louis that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$76,302
Gross salary in St. Louis whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$55,682
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Texas | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | No wage tax | up to 4.70% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 8.2% | 8.4% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.31% | 0.79% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $5,246 a year in Texas and $3,178 in Missouri. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Missouri
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Texas and once in Missouri. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
AustinLikely eligible
St. LouisLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
AustinLikely eligible
St. LouisLikely eligible
WIC
AustinLikely eligible
St. LouisLikely eligible
School meals
AustinLikely eligible
St. LouisLikely eligible
LIHEAP
AustinMaybe
St. LouisMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
AustinLikely eligible
St. LouisLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
AustinLikely eligible
St. LouisLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
AustinLikely eligible
St. LouisUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
AustinLikely eligible
St. LouisLikely eligible
SSI
AustinUnlikely
St. LouisUnlikely
| Program | Austin | St. Louis |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Likely eligible | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
Marketplace premium tax credits changes. In Austin the result is “Likely inside the 2026 subsidy range.” In St. Louis it is “Unlikely — Medicaid is the closer program.” Missouri expanded Medicaid, and this income is in the Medicaid range. Marketplace subsidies are usually not the program in that case.
Related comparisons
From Austin
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Austin.
- Austin and San Francisco · rent gap $1,880
- Austin and San Jose · rent gap $1,455
- Austin and Boston · rent gap $1,191
- Austin and New York · rent gap $1,154
- Austin and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,147
- Austin and San Diego · rent gap $1,006
- Austin and McAllen · rent gap $800
- Austin and Wichita · rent gap $774
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.