Salt Lake City vs St. George
The short version
- St. George is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Salt Lake City area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $496,100 in St. George and $539,500 in Salt Lake City.
- St. George has the warmer winter: January highs of 54°F vs 39°F.
- Salt Lake City gets far more snow: 52 inches a year vs 1.
- St. George has more scorching days: 128 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 62.
- St. George is growing faster: +14% since 2020 vs +9.4%.
Side by side
| Salt Lake City, UT | St. George, UT | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 218,428 | 108,713 |
| Growth since 2020 | +9.4% | +14% |
| People per square mile | 1,970 | 1,405 |
| Median age | 32.9 | 38.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 52% | 37% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $75,090 | $76,508 |
| Median home value | $539,500 | $496,100 |
| Home value to income | 7.2× | 6.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,414 | $1,545 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.9 | 97.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 123.3 | 98.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,700 | $73,000 |
| Homeowners | 46% | 67% |
| Top state income tax | 4.5% | 4.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.42% | 7.42% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.5 | 17.2 |
| Work from home | 21% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 5% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.2% | 3.6% |
| Poverty rate | 13.6% | 11.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 39° / 24° | 54° / 28° |
| July high / low | 94° / 68° | 102° / 72° |
| Precipitation per year | 16 in | 9 in |
| Snowfall per year | 52 in | 1 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 62 | 128 |
| Nights below freezing | 112 | 62 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.6 | 92.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 33% | 75% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.4% | -0.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +33.4% | +29.6% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Salt Lake City: May to June and September to October. St. George: April to May and October.
Full monthly tables: Salt Lake City weather by month and St. George weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,700 in Salt Lake City and $73,000 in St. George. Moving from Salt Lake City to St. George, you would need about $72,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Salt Lake City and St. George
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Salt Lake City and St. George.
Which would you pick?
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