SOC 13-1051 · St. Louis, MO-IL metro

Cost Estimators Salary in St. Louis, MO

The average salary for cost estimators in St. Louis, Missouri is $85,130 a year ($40.93 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $78,730: half of the 3,170 people in this job in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is about the same as the U.S. metro average for this job ($86,152).

$85,130average per year

$40.93 / hourMedian $78,730Take-home ≈ $64,804

  • $45K10th
  • $60K25th
  • $79KMedian
  • $103K75th
  • $131K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

3,170people in this job
-1%vs U.S. metro average
#1 of 8Missouri metros
95cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Cost Estimators pay range in St. Louis

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $44,990 a year or less, while the top 10% make $130,680 or more. The middle half of cost estimators in St. Louis earn between $59,990 and $103,290.

  • $45K10th
  • $60K25th
  • $79KMedian
  • $103K75th
  • $131K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$85,130$7,094$40.93
Median$78,730$6,561$37.85
Entry level (25th percentile)$59,990$4,999$28.84
Experienced (75th percentile)$103,290$8,608$49.66

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Cost Estimators salary after taxes in St. Louis

On the average salary of $85,130, a single filer in St. Louis takes home about $64,804 a year, or $5,400 a month and $2,492 every two weeks. Taxes take 24% of gross pay.

The St. Louis, MO-IL metro area crosses state lines, so take-home pay depends on the state where you work:

StatePer yearPer month
Working in MO$64,804$5,400
Working in IL$64,646$5,387

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Includes St. Louis's local income tax (1%); the 1% earnings tax applies to people who live or work in Kansas City or St. Louis itself, not in the suburbs.

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Is St. Louis a good place for cost estimators? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the St. Louis area are 5% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 95.1), so the average $85,130 buys what about $89,528 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.6 times the median wage of all jobs in St. Louis ($49,990). A typical home costs $276,878, or 3.3 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $85,130 is worth in another city

Cost Estimators salary in other Missouri cities

St. Louis ranks 1st of 8 Missouri metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.

All Cost Estimators salaries in Missouri

Highest-paying cities for cost estimators

San Francisco, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($109,520).

Cost Estimators salary by city

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Cost Estimators salary in St. Louis: questions

How much do cost estimators make an hour in St. Louis?

$40.93 an hour on average, and $37.85 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level cost estimators salary in St. Louis?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $44,990 a year and the 25th percentile is $59,990, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the cost estimators take-home pay in St. Louis?

About $64,804 a year ($5,400 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $85,130. Includes St. Louis's local income tax (1%); the 1% earnings tax applies to people who live or work in Kansas City or St. Louis itself, not in the suburbs.

Do cost estimators earn more in St. Louis than elsewhere?

The average here is about the same as the U.S. metro average for this job ($86,152).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 13-1051; area St. Louis, MO-IL (41180). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.1%.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Includes St. Louis's local income tax (1%); the 1% earnings tax applies to people who live or work in Kansas City or St. Louis itself, not in the suburbs.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 1.64, this job is 1.6 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.

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