TX → MO · Live Music Capital to Gateway City

Moving from Austin to St. Louis?

Austin to STL — TX 0% to MO ~6.95% costs $6,950/yr more, housing 45% cheaper — Dell/Tesla/Apple → BJC + Wash U + Express Scripts + Boeing Defense + Anheuser-Busch + Scott AFB.

880 mi Distance
13 hr Drive time
45% lower Home prices
$-6,950/yr Tax savings on $100K

The Story

Austin-to-STL is Tesla → Boeing Defense + Dell Med → Wash U move. TX 0% → MO+STL 6.95% costs $6,950/yr more. Housing 45% cheaper, COL 22% lower. Pull: BJC HealthCare (Cerner bridge), Wash U Medical (top academic), Express Scripts (Cigna), Boeing Defense, Anheuser-Busch HQ, Scott AFB TRANSCOM.

Why This Move

Why people move from Austin to St. Louis.

BJC HealthCare + Wash U Medical — top-tier academic medicine
Express Scripts (Cigna) — pharma benefits
Boeing Defense — F-15, F/A-18 (direct Tesla aerospace lateral)
Anheuser-Busch HQ — Fortune 200
Edward Jones HQ — finance
Scott AFB (30 min east) — TRANSCOM HQ defense lateral
Drastically cheaper housing (45% less than Austin)
Free Forest Park (zoo, museums) + Gateway Arch

Cost Comparison

The money side of TX → MO.

Austin

Median home$400,000
Income taxNone (TX)
Cost index110

St. Louis

Median home$220,000
Income tax4.95% MO + 1% STL + ~1% local (~6.95%)
Cost index86

What to Do in St. Louis

Things you'll want to know about your new city.

Bookmark this page — these are the icons of St. Louis, organized by what kind of day you're planning.

Outdoors & Recreation

Forest Park — 1,300 acres (50% larger than Central Park) with FREE zoo, art museum, history museum, science center
Missouri Botanical Garden — 1859 garden; Climatron, Japanese Garden, 79 acres

Culture & Arts

Gateway Arch National Park — 630-ft Eero Saarinen arch (1965); newest US national park
Saint Louis Art Museum (free) — Free admission in Forest Park; encyclopedic collection
Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour — Free Clydesdale stable + tour; iconic brewery since 1852
Busch Stadium (Cardinals) — MLB Cardinals; 11 World Series titles (most NL)
The Hill (Italian district) — Italian neighborhood — birthplace of toasted ravioli
Cahokia Mounds (15 min E in IL) — UNESCO World Heritage; pre-Columbian mound city

Family-Friendly

St. Louis Zoo (free) — Top-ranked US zoo — admission is free
City Museum — 10-story repurposed shoe factory turned playground; rooftop ferris wheel

Where to Eat

St. Louis's essential restaurants.

The dining list every St. Louis resident knows by heart. Save the spots, work through them.

Niche / Sidney Street Cafe Modern American Benton Park

Gerard Craft (James Beard winner)
Pastaria Italian Clayton

Gerard Craft — wood-fired pizza, fresh pasta
Pappy's Smokehouse BBQ Midtown

Memphis-style ribs; cult favorite
Bogart's Smokehouse BBQ Soulard

Pappy's offshoot; brisket and burnt ends
Imo's Pizza St. Louis pizza Multiple

Cracker-thin crust, Provel cheese — STL-style icon
Charlie Gitto's Italian The Hill

Original toasted ravioli inventor (allegedly)
Kingside Diner Diner Multiple

Classic American breakfast/diner
Vicia Modern vegetable-forward Central West End

Michael + Tara Gallina; James Beard nominees

Where to Live

Best St. Louis neighborhoods for Austin transplants.

Mapped to the Austin neighborhoods that probably feel like home to you.

Central West End

If SoCo was your scene — walkable, restaurants, near Wash U
The Grove

If East Austin was your vibe — gentrified, walkable
Soulard

If you wanted historic — French Quarter vibe, walkable
Clayton (suburb)

If Westlake was your model — top schools, walkable downtown
Kirkwood (suburb)

If Round Rock was your scene — top schools, walkable historic downtown
Tower Grove South

If you wanted historic charm — tree-lined, walkable

Climate & Walkability

What daily life feels like in St. Louis.

Climate

Humid continental. Hot, humid summers (68-89°F). Cold winters (25-43°F) with 17 inches snow. Spring tornado/storm risk. 41 inches rainfall, 202 sun days.

Summer68-89°F
Winter25-43°F
Sun days/yr202
Rainfall41 inches

Walkability

Walk Score64/100
Transit Score47/100
Bike Score52/100

St. Louis is somewhat walkable in central neighborhoods, car-dependent in suburbs.

Outdoors & Recreation

Forest Park — 1,300 acres with free zoo, museums, golf, lakes
Missouri Botanical Garden — 79 acres
Tower Grove Park — 289 acres Victorian park
Mississippi Riverfront — Gateway Arch grounds and beyond
Castlewood State Park (30 min west) — bluffs, hiking, mountain biking
Forest Park bike paths and Trolley Trail

Reality Check

What changes about your daily life.

TX 0% becomes MO+STL 6.95% — costs $6,950/year more on $100K
Housing 45% cheaper — $400K Austin becomes $220K STL
COL 22% lower
Climate flips humid subtropical to humid continental (STL real winters)
Property tax MO 1.0% lower than TX 1.8%
Car-dependent both
Dell Medical → Wash U + BJC academic medicine bridge
Sports — gain Cardinals/Blues, lose Longhorns + Austin FC

Driving Routes

How to drive there.

I-35 N to I-44 E

880 miles via Oklahoma City. 13 hours / 2 days.

Move Logistics

What it takes to move 880 miles.

Full-service (3BR)$4,500-$8,000
Container/PODS$3,200-$5,200
DIY (26-ft truck)$2,300-$4,200
Best monthsApr-Oct (avoid winter)
Lead time5-7 weeks ahead

USDOT-registered.

Common Questions