What Is The Cost Of Living In St. George, Utah?

Utah is becoming one of the most desirable places to live in the country. It’s attracting a lot of startups and young professionals because of the relatively low cost of living and access to outdoor activities. St. George is in Washington County, Utah, and the city is in the northeast part of the Mojave Desert.

Is St. George, Utah expensive? The cost of living index in St. George is 103.6, meaning it’s just slightly above the national average of 100. The median home cost in St. George is $303,700, which is lower than the median Utah cost of $338,200. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in St. George is around $1,020 right now.

St. George is below the Great Basin, and it’s one of the places that gets some of the warmest weather in Utah. It’s also one of the fastest-growing cities in the state, and nearby outdoor activities include biking, hiking, fishing, and more.

So, is St. George considered an affordable Utah city? We go over everything you need to know about how much it costs to live in St. George for the average person.

Housing costs in St. George are above the national average but below the state of Utah. The cost of living index for housing in St. George is 131.4. It’s 146.3 for the state of Utah, meaning both are above the national average of the United States.

The median home cost is $303,700 in St. George, and the median home cost in Utah as a whole is $338,200. For the United States, the median home cost is $231,000.

The homeownership rate in St. George is around 64.2%, and the rate of renters is around 35.8%. The majority of homes in St. George are single-family, making up 67% of properties. Most homes in the city were built between 1970 and 1999, although 39.7% have been built since 2000.

The homeownership rate in St. George is below the national average and the Utah rate, but it’s above that of Salt Lake City.

Some of the St. George neighborhoods that have seen the most appreciation in home values in the past two decades include areas around Highland Dr., Snow Canyon Parkway, and West Sunset Blvd.

The majority of homes in St. George are between $267,000 and $400,000. The second-most common price bracket in St. George is for homes ranging from $133,001 and $267,000. Even though the St. George market has higher home values than the national average, affordable options are available.

The median rent price for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,020. The rent increased 36% over the past year for a one-bedroom. The average price for a two-bedroom apartment in St. George has gone down two percent and is around $1,173. The rent prices in St. George are a bit below the average for Utah.

For a three-bedroom rental in St. George, the median rent is currently $1,564. For a four-bedroom rental in the area, the median rent is $1,809. Relatively speaking, in San Francisco, the average rent is around $3,629 per month, making somewhere like St. George appealing in terms of affordability.

If you live in Utah, there is a flat-rate state income tax of 4.95%. There is a Utah average effective property tax rate of 0.58%. There is a sales tax rate in the state that varies between 6.10% and 9.05%. There’s a gas tax in the state of 31.10 cents per gallon.

Paying your personal income taxes in Utah is a lot simpler than paying your federal income tax. Since it’s a flat rate, all income earners pay the state 4.95% of their taxable income. You can claim a personal exemption of $579 for each dependent you claim on your federal tax return.

There is also a Taxpayer Tax Credit, which is equal to 6% of all federal deductions claimed, plus your Utah personal exemption. In Washington County, where St. George is located, there is a county sales tax of 1.60%, added to the state sales tax of 4.85%, for a total of 6.45%.

Utah is known for relatively low property taxes, which, as was mentioned above statewide is on average 0.58%. In Washington County, the average county tax rate is 0.560%. If you have a home with an assessed value of $250,000, you might expect to pay around $1,400 in property taxes a year. That compares to the national average for a home assessed at $250,000, which is $2,675.

The cost index for utilities in St. George is just slightly below Utah. For St. George, it’s 95.3, and for Utah, it’s 95.5. This is below the national index average of 100. The cost of basic monthly utilities for a small apartment in St. George is on average $166. The basic utility price is anywhere from $100 to $450 a month, which is a significant range.

For the internet, the average monthly rate is $71.25, with a range of $45 to $220 a month.

The average residential electricity rate in St. George is 8.39 cents per kWh. The average residential electricity rate is 15.51% lower than the Utah average rate. It’s 29.38% lower than the national average, which is 11.88 centers per kWh.

The average cost of gas in St. George is around $2.67 a gallon. Currently, the U.S. average is $2.72 for regular gas and $3.03 a gallon for mid-grade. Utah falls somewhere in the middle for gas prices overall. States with the highest gas prices include California, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada. States with the lowest gas prices include Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and North Carolina.

The average cost of minimum car insurance in the U.S. is $565 a year. For full car insurance coverage, the U.S. average is $1,674 a year.

In Utah, the average car insurance cost is $1,112. You could expect to pay around $2.88 per mile in a taxi.

The SunTran is the city’s public transportation system. Cash fares are $1, with discounts for seniors, Medicare cardholders, and people with disabilities. Children under six ride free when they’re with a fare-paying adult. A one-month pass for SunTran is $30.

If you have younger children, the average cost of full-time daycare is $1,165 a month. The childcare costs in St. George are estimated to be 27% less than in Salt Lake City. There are four private schools in the area, and the average tuition for private schools is $8,715 for elementary schools. The average annual private school tuition for high schools is $13,782.

Dixie State University is a public university located in St. George, and the city is also home to Dixie Technical College. For the 2019-2020 academic year, the average tuition and fees in St. George were $4,070 for in-state and for out-of-state, $11,009. Dixie State is the most expensive, with tuition and fees of $15,792, while the tuition and fees for Dixie Technical Collage are estimated at $2,644.

There’s a lot to do in St. George, and many of the activities are centered around the outdoors, many of which are low-cost or free.

For example, there’s Pioneer Park with red rocks and numerous trails that wind through canyons and boulders. Zion National Park is also nearby. To go into Zion National Park, you do have to buy a recreational use pass. A weekly pass for a private vehicle is $35, and you also get access to Kolob Canyon.

Sand Hollow State Park offers 20,000 acres of recreational activities, including riding in off-road vehicles on the dunes. The cost of a day pass is $15 per vehicle, or you can buy an annual pass for $100.

Close to St. George is the Kayenta Art Village, with galleries, a café, and studios. The shopping area is pedestrian-only.

The average cost to go to a movie is $9.50 a ticket, and the average price of a membership to a fitness club is $23 a month.

St. George, Utah, has a crime index of 33. What this means is that it’s safer than 33% of cities in the United States. The crime rate per 1000 residents is 17.78. The violent crime rate is lower in St. George than the rest of Utah, and both rates are lower than the national median. There are very few violent crimes reported in St. George.

The property crime rate is also lower in St. George than in both Utah and the rest of the country.

St. George has a lower unemployment rate than the U.S. average, and there have been job market increases of 3.5% year-over-year. Future job growth in the area over the next ten years is expected to be 55.6%, which is significantly higher than the national average of 33.5%.

Overall, St. George is a place that seems to have strong economic growth, at least in terms of the job market. While housing is more expensive than the national average, that may be balanced out by the lower costs in other areas, including things like food costs and taxes. Those might be a few reasons you consider moving to St. George, particularly since the entire state of Utah also sees strong economic growth.