$90,000 in St. Louis ≈ $105,899 in San Diego

$105,899

Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (95.1 → 111.9). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.

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

St. Louis RPP
95.1
San Diego RPP
111.9
Price gap
+17.7%
Base salary
$90,000

Prices in San Diego run +17.7% 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 $105,899 in San Diego for equal purchasing power.

Your salary

Needed in San Diego: $105,899

Live math: salary × (111.9 ÷ 95.1). Same formula as the static ladder below.

Salary needed in San Diego

In St. LouisIn San Diego
$60,000$70,599
$90,000$105,899
$150,000$176,498

Equivalent = origin salary × (111.9 ÷ 95.1). Adjust the base with the slider above.

Price level components

ComponentSt. LouisSan DiegoUS
All items95.1111.9100
Goods100.0108.0100
Housing (rents)79.0179.3100
Other services98.699.6100

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

Wages in both metros

OccupationSt. LouisSan DiegoDest. middle halfDest. OEWS emp.Gap
Physicians, All Other$246,440$323,050$254,280 to $337,4004,200+31.1%
Chief Executives$202,840$238,440$155,810 to $387,1302,710+17.6%
Computer and Information Systems Managers$167,130$206,740$165,460 to $262,2107,250+23.7%
Architectural and Engineering Managers$162,660$202,810$164,520 to $224,7403,270+24.7%
Financial Managers$158,780$174,210$133,960 to $235,4007,350+9.7%
Lawyers$142,690$178,220$135,400 to $223,0208,020+24.9%
Marketing Managers$137,900$174,840$132,130 to $228,1103,790+26.8%
Pharmacists$138,530$165,130$154,000 to $201,7502,840+19.2%

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 San Diego to match $90,000 in St. Louis?
About $105,899, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 95.1 and 111.9. 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.