$90,000 in Buffalo ≈ $89,342 in St. Louis

$89,342

Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (95.8 → 95.1). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.

Prices in St. Louis run −0.7% vs Buffalo for equal purchasing power at this salary level.

Buffalo RPP
95.8
St. Louis RPP
95.1
Price gap
−0.7%
Base salary
$90,000

Prices in St. Louis run −0.7% versus Buffalo on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are lower at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in Buffalo maps to about $89,342 in St. Louis for equal purchasing power.

Your salary

Needed in St. Louis: $89,342

Live math: salary × (95.1 ÷ 95.8). Same formula as the static ladder below.

Salary needed in St. Louis

In BuffaloIn St. Louis
$60,000$59,562
$90,000$89,342
$150,000$148,904

Equivalent = origin salary × (95.1 ÷ 95.8). Adjust the base with the slider above.

Price level components

ComponentBuffaloSt. LouisUS
All items95.895.1100
Goods99.7100.0100
Housing (rents)81.079.0100
Other services97.898.6100

BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, US = 100. Housing is rents; utilities omitted in this view.

Wages in both metros

OccupationBuffaloSt. LouisDest. middle halfDest. OEWS emp.Gap
Chief Executives$239,990$202,840$136,840 to $317,9901,120−15.5%
Computer and Information Systems Managers$172,650$167,130$132,150 to $197,7306,160−3.2%
Architectural and Engineering Managers$164,120$162,660$135,350 to $205,7301,280−0.9%
Financial Managers$164,230$158,780$120,080 to $207,7907,190−3.3%
Sales Managers$163,090$123,870$93,460 to $172,2304,060−24.0%
Human Resources Managers$150,180$133,880$102,990 to $175,7101,940−10.9%
Marketing Managers$144,390$137,900$103,520 to $186,9703,540−4.5%
Pharmacists$137,900$138,530$129,760 to $159,6302,910+0.5%

BLS OEWS May 2025 metro medians where published for both CBSAs. Employment is OEWS published employment, not job openings.

FAQ

What salary do I need in St. Louis to match $90,000 in Buffalo?
About $89,342, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 95.8 and 95.1. Formula: salary × (RPP_destination / RPP_origin). Not financial advice.
What do goods, housing, and other RPP components mean?
BEA publishes component indexes alongside all-items RPP. Goods covers merchandise prices; housing (rents) covers rents; other services covers remaining services. All are indexed to US = 100 for the same vintage year.
How do OEWS wages relate to this comparison?
BLS OEWS (May 2025) publishes occupation medians by metro. The wage bridge shows jobs with published medians in both metros, plus middle-half bands and OEWS employment where available. RPP adjusts purchasing power; OEWS reports pay.
Does this include taxes or benefits?
No. PayByCity does not model income taxes, childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave. Use the figures as a price-level starting point, not a take-home or total-rewards calculator.

What this covers

Includes

  • BEA Regional Price Parities (all items, goods, housing rents, other services)
  • BLS OEWS median wages, percentile bands, and employment where published
  • Purchasing-power math: salary × (destination RPP ÷ origin RPP)

Does not include

  • Federal, state, or local income taxes
  • Childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave benefits
  • Job openings. OEWS employment is a published stock estimate, not hiring demand

See methodology and disclaimer.