Climate
New York City logs 22 hot days a year to St. Louis's 62 — New York City wins by 40. New York City also leads on frost days by 22.
New York City
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
St. Louis
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
St. Louis is $2362/mo cheaperNew York City runs about $5,415/mo for a balanced lifestyle against St. Louis's $3,053/mo — St. Louis comes in $2,362 cheaper each month, roughly 77% less.
New York City
$5,415monthly · balanced
St. Louis
$3,053monthly · balanced
Mobility
On mobility, New York City scores 3.6 vs St. Louis's 2.4 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on public transit. St. Louis still holds an edge on car efficiency.
Culture
New York City's culture score of 4.8 sits well above St. Louis's 3.3, with the biggest gap on history museums.
Nature & Outdoors
New York City's nature & outdoors score of 4.0 sits well above St. Louis's 3.0, with the biggest gap on sea access.
Safety
New York City's safety score is ~1.5× St. Louis's — below average, while St. Louis lands below average, with the biggest gap on walking safety.
Career
New York City's career score of 5.0 sits well above St. Louis's 3.8, with the biggest gap on economic scale.
Social & Community
New York City's social & community score is ~1.3× St. Louis's — in the upper band, while St. Louis lands in the middle of the scale, with the biggest gap on expat-first community.
Food & Dining
On food & dining, New York City scores 5.0 vs St. Louis's 3.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on restaurant variety.
Family
On family, New York City scores 4.3 vs St. Louis's 2.9 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on international schools.
Healthcare
On healthcare, New York City scores 3.5 vs St. Louis's 2.8 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on private healthcare quality.
Air Quality
New York City averages 8.6 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus St. Louis's 8.6 µg/m³ (good) — New York City breathes ~0% cleaner air (0.0 µg/m³ lower).
New York City
St. Louis
PM2.5 annual average
WHO classification
City Scale
Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.
New York City (14.2M) and St. Louis (797K) are 18x in population — New York City is the larger metro, St. Louis the smaller; on land area New York City spans roughly 6.9x more ground.
New York City is roughly 11x the scale of St. Louis
Combined population & area comparison
City Scale Rankings
New York City
St. Louis
Who Thrives Here
New York City favours the cosmopolitan, while St. Louis suits the crowd avoider. Both cities work well for the career builder.
Also compared
Frequently asked about New York City vs St. Louis
▶Which is cheaper, New York City or St. Louis?
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The best city depends on what matters to you
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