US flag
New York City

United States

vs
US flag
St. Louis

United States

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 CitySt. Louis
Sunny days
206222
Hot days
2262
Frost days
5375
Rain days
118115
Snow days
48
Outdoor dinner months
5/125/12
Avg wind
2.9 m/s3.0 m/s
Sunshine hours
2,3242,451
Darkest month sun
125 hrs/mo104 hrs/mo
UV peak month
7.18.1

New York City

Feels-like °C

-5
-1
3
9
17
25
30
27
21
14
5
-3

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

St. Louis

Feels-like °C

-6
-3
8
13
19
30
32
29
25
15
6
1

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Cost of Living

St. Louis is $2362/mo cheaper

New 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

$5,415

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $4,237Comfort $9,597
Top 98%in Among 45 US & Canada cities

St. Louis

$3,053

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $2,354Comfort $4,716
Cheaper than 73%in Among 45 US & Canada cities

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.

3.6/5
vs
2.4/5
New York CitySt. Louis
WalkabilityTransitCyclingFlights
Car EfficiencyFlightsAirport
New York City leads

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.

4.8/5
vs
3.3/5
New York CitySt. Louis
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
ArtsTheatreVenuesNightlife
New York City leads

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.

4.0/5
vs
3.0/5
New York CitySt. Louis
SeaForestGreen AreasLakesRunningHikingCampingBeachSurfing
ForestGreen AreasLakesRunningCamping
New York City leads

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.

2.2/5
vs
1.5/5
New York CitySt. Louis
Property CrimeRoadFlooding
Street SafetyProperty CrimeRoadFlooding
New York City leads

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.

5.0/5
vs
3.8/5
New York CitySt. Louis
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking
New York City leads

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.

4.3/5
vs
3.4/5
New York CitySt. Louis
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereLocal-First CommunityAdmin English Support
Everyday EnglishMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereLocal-First CommunityAdmin English Support
New York City leads

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.

5.0/5
vs
3.0/5
New York CitySt. Louis
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery
BrunchVeganDelivery
New York City leads

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.

4.3/5
vs
2.9/5
New York CitySt. Louis
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportPlaygroundsGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis
UniversitiesAmenitiesGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis
New York City leads

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.

3.5/5
vs
2.8/5
New York CitySt. Louis
Private Healthcare
Private Healthcare
New York City leads

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

8.6µg/m³
8.6µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Good
Good

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.

11x

New York City is roughly 11x the scale of St. Louis

Combined population & area comparison

US flagNew York City
11x
US flagSt. Louis
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.US flagNew York City14.2M18x
2.US flagSt. Louis797K1x
Area
1.US flagNew York City3,031 km²6.9x
2.US flagSt. Louis439 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
126 km64 km

US flagNew York City

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
25 km36 km

US flagSt. Louis

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about New York City vs St. Louis

Which is cheaper, New York City or St. Louis?
St. Louis is approximately $2,362 per month cheaper. New York City averages $5,415/mo while St. Louis averages $3,053/mo.
How does the climate compare between New York City and St. Louis?
Sunny days: 206 vs 222 d — St. Louis higher Annual sunshine: 2,324 vs 2,451 hrs — St. Louis higher Winter sunshine: 125 vs 104 hrs/day — New York City higher Hot days (>30°C): 22 vs 62 d — New York City lower Frost days: 53 vs 75 d — New York City lower Rainy days: 118 vs 115 d — Similar Snowy days: 4 vs 8 d — New York City lower
Is New York City or St. Louis safer?
New York City scores higher on safety. New York City rates 2.2/5 while St. Louis rates 1.5/5, based on street safety, property crime rates, and natural hazard exposure.
Should I move to New York City or St. Louis?
New York City and St. Louis are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. St. Louis is generally more affordable, while New York City may offer different lifestyle advantages. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how New York City and St. Louis stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

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