, you may be worried about high crime rates. However, many urban neighborhoods and suburbs offer a low cost of living, entertainment opportunities, and a close-knit community, making St. Louis an ideal city for families.

Founded in 1764 by French fur traders, St. Louis picked up its nickname The Gateway to the West as the Westward Expansion brought countless settlers across the Mississippi to prepare for their journey across the plains. Today, the Gateway Arch commemorates this history, but locals are more interested in beer, blues, and sports than trading furs.

St. Louis is a comparably affordable city to live in, but if you're considering a move there, you’ll need to be prepared for some unique driving conditions—and that means making sure you’re covered with quality

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What you need to know about St. Louis before you move

Just seven miles by seven miles, St. Louis makes up with legendary views and culture what it lacks in size. Packed into this hilly little peninsula on the St. Louis Bay are nearly 900,000 residents, some of the world’s best restaurants, and one of the most polarizing urban communities you’ll find anywhere in the world. Love it or hate it, there’s nowhere like St. Louis.

1. One of the 25 cheapest places to live in the U.S.

U.S. News & World Report named St. Louis the 25th Cheapest Place to Live in the U.S. for 2022-2023. Let’s see how this plays out across some of the biggest expenses we face daily.

First, housing. Housing in St. Louis averages about 27% cheaper than elsewhere. That means the average rent for an 800-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment will run you about $1,000 a month. That is, unless you’re looking for housing in sought-after neighborhoods, like Skinker DeBaliviere or Downtown, where it's not uncommon to pay up to $2,000 for a one-bedroom.

So, what about daily expenses, like groceries? Be prepared to pay average prices, like $4.50 for your morning coffee and $5-$6 for a beer.

Pantry staples, like eggs, will run you about $1.64, and a gallon of milk is about $3.51. If you’re dropping into a fast-food joint for a quick bite, be prepared to pay about $5 for a hamburger.

Like costs, earnings in St. Louis are fairly average with salaries coming in around $55,000. The minimum wage is $11.15 an hour.

2. You’re likely to find a good-paying job

As is often the case in cities with a low cost of living, St. Louis’s job market is less healthy than similarly sized metropolitan areas. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any jobs available.

Fields with the most job openings include healthcare, education, service, and transportation, but there are jobs to be had in everything from bioscience to information technology in the Gateway City. Allied Healthcare Products, Energizer, and Edward Jones all have their headquarters in St. Louis, and popular employers also include Boeing, 1904labs, and Centene Corporation.

3. You’ll need to worry about car theft more than assault

Data collected from over 18,000 local law enforcement agencies reveals that St. Louis is one of the least safe cities in the U.S.—especially north of River Des Peres Boulevard. Neighborhoods with the highest crime rates include Peabody-Darst-Webbe, Old North St. Louis, and Dutchtown. In fact, sky-high violent crime rates earned St. Louis the nickname “murder capital of the U.S.” for many years. However, 2022’s rate of 45 homicides per 100,000 was less than

New Orleans’s

52 homicides per 100,000 residents, shifting the dubious honor to The Crescent City.

In addition to abnormally high violent crime rates, St. Louis also suffers from some of the highest property crime rates in the nation, including car theft. In fact, as of September 2022, the city had already seen 4,588 vehicles stolen, compared to 4,132 for all of 2021. So, if you’re moving to St. Louis, be sure to invest in one of

the best vehicle anti-theft devices to keep your car safe

—it could even earn you a discount on your

car insurance

4. St. Louis suburbs are a great place to raise a family

Despite high crime rates in some neighborhoods, St. Louis, overall, can be a safe and fun place to raise a family—or a fur-baby! In fact, according to Niche, the

top 20 places to live and raise a family in Missouri

are all St. Louis suburbs, with Richmond Heights, Clayton, Brentwood, Chesterfield, and Frontenac making up the top five.

In addition to great schools and close-knit communities, these areas also provide an abundance of outdoor space to play with your pets. Plus, an abundance of dog parks combined with pet-welcoming local museums, outdoor restaurants, gardens, wineries, and breweries, means you can take your four-legged children almost anywhere.

5. You’ve got options for transportation

The St. Louis metropolitan area is home to over 2.8 million people, but St. Louis traffic isn’t nearly as bad as you might expect. The

2021 Global Traffic Scorecard

puts St. Louis in 104th place for worst U.S. traffic, and St. Louis is considered the second-fastest commute out of 20 major metro areas.

If you’re not one for driving, St. Louis offers a robust system of public transport that includes a light rail system and metro buses. Only about 30% of metro residents currently use this system, so you should have no trouble grabbing a seat!

6. You’ll learn to love the storms—and don’t trust the meteorologists

No matter where you live in Missouri—St. Louis included—it’s not uncommon to go from air conditioning to heating on the same day. “Layering” means wearing shorts with a winter jacket, and don’t be surprised when you see both flip-flops and snow boots being kept handy most of the year.

Sure, St. Louis has the standard four seasons, but weather extremes have caused most in the city to develop major trust issues where meteorologists are concerned. Being from the Show Me State, they prefer to see for themselves—which is why you’ll see most St. Louisians on the front porch watching a thunderstorm like it’s their favorite TV show rather than sheltering in the basement.

7. The city has one 'Cardinal' rule

St. Louis is serious about its sports, and if you’re planning a move there, you better be ready to support the local teams. Chief among these is the 11-time World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals. But St. Louis offers a team for every season—from major league baseball in the spring to NHL hockey with the Blues in winter, and plenty of minor-league and college sports in between, you’ll always have a sporting event to attend in St. Louis.

Does St. Louis live up to its stereotypes?

Unfortunately, a long history of political, economic, and social inequality has left St. Louis with a reputation for gang violence and rampant racism that, in some areas, isn’t altogether undeserved. Luckily, those moving to St. Louis will find that these stereotypes are much more the exception than the rule.

Key Takeaway Low cost of living and tight-knit communities balance out high crime rates and lower-than-average job growth in St. Louis.

MORE:

Does my car insurance cover me if I move to a new city?

Finding a place to live in St. Louis

Unless you’re looking to join the van-living trend, your first order of business when moving to St. Louis will be finding a place to live. Unfortunately, while the St. Louis housing market may not be as tough as many other U.S. cities, it’s still very competitive.

On the bright side, the median home sale price is an affordable $210,000. On the not-so-bright-side, most homes are only on the market for about a week, so that doesn’t leave you much time for shopping. To get a better feel for the city and its surrounding neighborhoods, many who move to St. Louis choose to rent for a year or two before settling into a neighborhood with a home purchase.

Renting, like home owning, is fairly affordable in St. Louis. Most apartments will run you from $700 for a studio to upwards of $2,000 for a three-bedroom, but if you’re looking in more desirable neighborhoods or for a downtown view that includes the Arch, be prepared to pay more.

As is the case with any move, start planning your move to St. Louis by setting a budget. This will give you the boundaries you have to work within to ensure you leave yourself enough cash for everything from household items to recreation.

If you’re not familiar with St. Louis’s 79 neighborhoods, here are a few pointers:

Best neighborhoods overall: Hi-Pointe, Shaw, Debaliviere Place, Skinker-Debaliviere

Best neighborhoods if you’ve got kids: Hi-Pointe, Shaw, Wydown-Skinker, Kings Oak

Best neighborhoods for foodies: The Hill, South Grand, Downtown, Delmar Loop

Best neighborhoods for singles and young professionals: Central West End, Downtown, Lafayette Square, Shaw

Most affordable neighborhoods: Hamilton Heights, Fairground, Mark Twain, Hyde Park, Covenant-Blu-Grand

St. Louis is known as a city of neighborhoods, each with its own unique makeup and feel, so get to know the neighborhood you’re interested in calling home before moving there, if possible.

Pro Tip Booking a few nights in a local hotel is one of the best ways to get to know a neighborhood before deciding to call it home.

MORE: Cheap car insurance if you rent an apartment

Moving to St. Louis checklist

Once you know where you’re headed in St. Louis, it’s time to get a move on—literally. Here are a couple of checklists to help keep you organized throughout the process, from packing the first box to spending your first night in your new home.

Before you go

Before you move, make sure to:

Choose a reputable moving company if you need a hand with your relocation. If not, don’t forget to reserve a U-Haul well ahead of time to ensure availability.

Pack up all your belongings in an organized fashion, so you can easily find essentials upon arrival. If you have close friends you can trust to follow your packing methods, consider asking them for help.

Give notice of your moving date to your landlord, employer, utility companies, and insurance provider.

Make arrangements to tow or ship your car to St. Louis.

Book your transportation, or prepare for the road trip of a lifetime!

After you get there

Getting to St. Louis is just the beginning—now it’s time to not only unpack but also to get everything set up in your new locale. Here are some things you’ll need to do:

If you moved to Missouri from another state, you’ll need to register your vehicle in Missouri.

Regardless of whether your move included a crossing of state lines, you’ll need to update your insurance.

If you’re renting your new home, you’ll need to buy renters’ insurance to keep you and your valuables covered.

Don’t forget to update your mailing address and voter registration—two things you can do at once by visiting the

official USPS Change of Address

site.

Update your healthcare information.

And finally, the fun stuff—explore your new neighborhood! Find your new favorite coffee shop, local park, and late-night takeout place.

MORE:

Complete checklist for moving out of state

How to save on car, renters, and home insurance in St. Louis

St. Louis may not have the worst traffic compared to other metro areas, but it’s still important to ensure you have a policy that’s ready to cover you no matter what conditions you’re driving in. Luckily, the insurance super app

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If you’re looking for any kind of insurance, consider Jerry your one-stop shop. In just 45 seconds from sign-up, Jerry will compare quotes from some of the nation’s top insurance providers to bring you the best policies for car, renters, or homeowners insurance, with or without

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Plus, we can even help you offset some of the costs of moving! The average customer saves over $800 a year on their insurance premiums by switching with Jerry—that’s a lot of cash to put toward styling up your new digs!

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Is it worth moving to St. Louis?

The answer to this question will be different for everyone. If you’re looking for a city that’s ripe with history, offers a low cost of living, and is pretty easy to drive in, St. Louis may be just right for you. But the nutty weather and high crime rates can be a turn-off for some.

How much money do I need to move to St. Louis?

This is another “it depends” kind of question. The amount of money you’ll need to move to St. Louis will depend on where you’re moving from, whether you hire movers to help you, and whether you rent or buy once you arrive, to name just a few factors. Generally speaking, to live comfortably in St. Louis, you’ll need to average gross income of about $3,500 per month for a single person, and families will obviously require more.

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