$90,000 in San Francisco ≈ $74,040 in St. Louis

$74,040

Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (115.6 → 95.1). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.

Prices in St. Louis run −17.7% vs San Francisco for equal purchasing power at this salary level.

San Francisco RPP
115.6
St. Louis RPP
95.1
Price gap
−17.7%
Base salary
$90,000

Prices in St. Louis run −17.7% versus San Francisco on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are lower at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in San Francisco maps to about $74,040 in St. Louis for equal purchasing power.

Your salary

Needed in St. Louis: $74,040

Live math: salary × (95.1 ÷ 115.6). Same formula as the static ladder below.

Salary needed in St. Louis

In San FranciscoIn St. Louis
$60,000$49,360
$90,000$74,040
$150,000$123,400

Equivalent = origin salary × (95.1 ÷ 115.6). Adjust the base with the slider above.

Price level components

ComponentSan FranciscoSt. LouisUS
All items115.695.1100
Goods108.5100.0100
Housing (rents)194.779.0100
Other services106.298.6100

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

Wages in both metros

OccupationSan FranciscoSt. LouisDest. middle halfDest. OEWS emp.Gap
Physicians, All Other$294,360$246,440$83,390 to $367,6902,470−16.3%
Chief Executives$288,690$202,840$136,840 to $317,9901,120−29.7%
Computer and Information Systems Managers$232,890$167,130$132,150 to $197,7306,160−28.2%
Architectural and Engineering Managers$221,580$162,660$135,350 to $205,7301,280−26.6%
Financial Managers$216,150$158,780$120,080 to $207,7907,190−26.5%
Marketing Managers$220,480$137,900$103,520 to $186,9703,540−37.5%
Lawyers$212,500$142,690$95,300 to $208,0706,100−32.9%
Nurse Practitioners$219,080$131,580$127,460 to $154,5003,430−39.9%

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 San Francisco?
About $74,040, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 115.6 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.