How is St. Louis a low-cost to live place? (Chesterfield: rent, new house)

[BubbyBobble]

I don't get why people brag that it's "such a low cost of living" or "best bang" for your buck. Doesn't the pay usually accomadate the cost of living? I don't consider Chesterfield or Ladue exactly cheap. Many good houses cost upwards of $500,000 in West County. If you want to factor in places like Blackjack or Riverview, then I don't think that it necesarily is a fair comparison (not a great area to live in). Some of these luxury houses cost more than a normal house near the beach on the West Coast. Not to mention having to pay taxes every year on your car (which sucks). Can someone please explain?

[orangefuscia]

I think when they say low cost of living they mean St Louis City itself maybe? As for the rest of the region it is relatively cheaper than other cities.

[imperialmog]

In cost of living, it is to compare similar areas betweeen different metro areas.

[chr1s]

It's all relative. If you're coming from most mid-sized to large cities in the US and want a 3- to 4-bedroom house in the city or inner suburbs, St. Louis looks very affordable.

[BoomBoxing]

No, pay doesn't usually match cost of living. For example, my exact job would pay me about 4k (not even) more in Washington DC. According to every cost of living calculator I've ever seen, I would need to make 30k+ more a year to match my current lifestyle in the St. Louis area. And it's not that I have some sort of extravagant lifestyle either, but let me tell you what I can do living in the St. Louis area than DC or similar:

-I own a 4 bedroom house with my girlfriend in the city, with a finished basement and swimming pool. For the same price in DC, I can have a shack on the roof of an abandoned building in a dangerous neighborhood.

-We go on vacation a few times a year

-We go out to eat pretty frequently

-I am two years removed from college and my gf is still in college

DC is an awesome place, but jeez I cannot justify the downgrade in lifestyle. Once we make a lot more money, it wouldn't be such a huge adjustment.

[momule]

St Louis is not a low cost of living area. That is a myth perpetuated by the Chamber of Commerce and RCGA. Compared to Boston, NY, DC and the west coast it is cheap, but compared to any part of mid-america it is very expensive. I have looked at homes in kc, indy, nashville, memphis, louisville, cincinnati, atlanta, tulsa, oklahoma city and others and they provide a lot more value than st louis. We don't even build brick houses in the area anymore due to the high labor costs while the above mentioned metro areas have brick on four sides on most of the new homes.

Groceries are more too. Check out where Schnucks appears in consumer reports value rating compared to other major metro chains.

Property taxes are ridiculous on new homes(not 40 year homes) due to the previously mentioned high prices. You buy your home then rent it from the taxing districts.

This area simply cannot compete with the rest of the country for new jobs from companies located in other areas due to the high cost of housing.

[skipcromer]

Originally Posted by momule

St Louis is not a low cost of living area. That is a myth perpetuated by the Chamber of Commerce and RCGA. Compared to Boston, NY, DC and the west coast it is cheap, but compared to any part of mid-america it is very expensive. I have looked at homes in kc, indy, nashville, memphis, louisville, cincinnati, atlanta, tulsa, oklahoma city and others and they provide a lot more value than st louis. We don't even build brick houses in the area anymore due to the high labor costs while the above mentioned metro areas have brick on four sides on most of the new homes.

Groceries are more too. Check out where Schnucks appears in consumer reports value rating compared to other major metro chains.

Property taxes are ridiculous on new homes(not 40 year homes) due to the previously mentioned high prices. You buy your home then rent it from the taxing districts.

This area simply cannot compete with the rest of the country for new jobs from companies located in other areas due to the high cost of housing.

Having lived in both Atlanta and St. Louis there is no comparison. The cost of living in St. Louis is much, much less.

[moorlander]

Originally Posted by momule

St Louis is not a low cost of living area. That is a myth perpetuated by the Chamber of Commerce and RCGA. Compared to Boston, NY, DC and the west coast it is cheap, but compared to any part of mid-america it is very expensive. I have looked at homes in kc, indy, nashville, memphis, louisville, cincinnati, atlanta, tulsa, oklahoma city and others and they provide a lot more value than st louis. We don't even build brick houses in the area anymore due to the high labor costs while the above mentioned metro areas have brick on four sides on most of the new homes.

This area simply cannot compete with the rest of the country for new jobs from companies located in other areas due to the high cost of housing.

Whhaaaatt?

[momule]

Skipcromer. I have been looking at housing in alpharetta ga (atl suburbs) for a couple of years and find the housing to be much better for the money than in st louis. New houses that are $500k in alpharetta are $700k in chesterfield. I believe both suburbs are somewhat comparable. The chesterfield house at $700k has property taxes of $8000. I am not comparing st louis city versus atlanta city....i am comparing the suburbs of both metro areas since most corporate relocations are to the burbs.

Regarding my comment on companies not relocating, I even read a corporate relocation directors comments in in a trade publication that st louis was a hard sell due to poor housing stock and high prices. Why do you think atlanta, dallas, houston, indy, and nashville are growing so fast while st louis is stagnant with essentially the same population as 50 years ago.

[skipcromer]

i am comparing the suburbs of both metro areas since most corporate relocations are to the burbs.



You compared one suburb to another, which are both far flung suburbs.

Look at city neighborhoods as well as inner suburbs, such as druid hills and compare that to webster or maplewood.

Even distant suburbs like alpharetta and chesterfield is not a valid comparison. Alpharetta is roughly 25-30 miles from downtown atlanta. Have fun driving down GA 400 anytime between 6 - 10 am and 3 - 7 pm. While 64 is no picnic, it beats the hell out of 400.