$90,000 in St. Louis ≈ $94,921 in Detroit

$94,921

Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (95.1 → 100.3). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.

Prices in Detroit run +5.5% vs St. Louis for equal purchasing power at this salary level.

St. Louis RPP
95.1
Detroit RPP
100.3
Price gap
+5.5%
Base salary
$90,000

Prices in Detroit run +5.5% versus St. Louis on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are higher at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in St. Louis maps to about $94,921 in Detroit for equal purchasing power.

Your salary

Needed in Detroit: $94,921

Live math: salary × (100.3 ÷ 95.1). Same formula as the static ladder below.

Salary needed in Detroit

In St. LouisIn Detroit
$60,000$63,281
$90,000$94,921
$150,000$158,202

Equivalent = origin salary × (100.3 ÷ 95.1). Adjust the base with the slider above.

Price level components

ComponentSt. LouisDetroitUS
All items95.1100.3100
Goods100.098.8100
Housing (rents)79.094.7100
Other services98.6102.6100

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

Wages in both metros

OccupationSt. LouisDetroitDest. middle halfDest. OEWS emp.Gap
Chief Executives$202,840$304,110$172,730 to $450,4502,070+49.9%
Computer and Information Systems Managers$167,130$170,040$133,400 to $208,2907,980+1.7%
Architectural and Engineering Managers$162,660$168,550$138,520 to $203,8009,260+3.6%
Financial Managers$158,780$160,240$117,480 to $206,78011,670+0.9%
Physicians, All Other$246,440$68,220$64,920 to $211,3706,580−72.3%
Marketing Managers$137,900$149,310$111,160 to $195,4603,370+8.3%
Human Resources Managers$133,880$149,980$121,920 to $183,0603,090+12.0%
Sales Managers$123,870$155,560$104,860 to $201,9808,760+25.6%

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 Detroit to match $90,000 in St. Louis?
About $94,921, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 95.1 and 100.3. 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.