Last updated October 30, 2026
Most guides to moving from Dallas to St. Louis compare the cost of living. This one compares houses. Find the kind of house you’re leaving, then see where St. Louis has the most of that same era and size, with the 2026 sales behind it. Treat each match as a place to start, not an exact twin, and count the basement: many St. Louis houses have a whole level under them that a Dallas slab house doesn’t.
It depends on the house you’re leaving. Plano two-stories point to Wildwood and Chesterfield, new Frisco and McKinney homes to Jefferson County’s newer communities, Richardson and Garland ranches to Oakville and Mehlville, and the Park Cities to Ladue and Clayton. The match table ↓
Wildwood and Chesterfield. Plano’s median house was built in 1993, and Wildwood’s 2026 sales had a 1992 median at 3,342 sq ft. Chesterfield’s houses are about as large, 3,326 sq ft, but a decade older, with a 1982 median. Plano-era two-stories ↓
Less than Dallas, and most of it is outside St. Louis County. In 2026 resales, the median house was built in 2021 on the Jefferson County side of Eureka, 2009 in Herculaneum and 2002 in Hillsboro. In St. Louis County, 17.5% of Oakville’s sales were built in 2000 or later. Newer communities ↓
In South County and parts of West County. Garland’s median house was built in 1978 and the Richardson Heights area’s in 1973; Oakville’s 2026 sales had a 1979 median, Manchester’s 1973 and Mehlville’s 1966. Ranch areas ↓
Ladue and Clayton at the top, with 2026 medians of $1,430,000 and $1,240,000, then Kirkwood at $566,750 and Webster Groves at $444,500. Like Highland Park, they are older, established and mostly built out. Established neighborhoods ↓
North Texas clay swells and shrinks, so Dallas builds on slabs and adds space upstairs. Many St. Louis houses were built over a full basement instead, which is extra room the listed square footage doesn’t count. Clay, slabs and basements ↓
Sources: St. Louis figures from 2026 MLS (MARIS) closed single-family sales on this site’s area pages; Dallas-area house ages from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data (via Point2Homes); Dallas-to-St. Louis county flows from Census county-to-county migration estimates.
Start there, because the house type narrows the map faster than the city name does. Most moves from the Dallas area fall into one of five patterns, and each one has a part of St. Louis where the same era or size of house is most common.
| If you’re leaving | Dallas-area examples | Start looking in St. Louis |
|---|---|---|
| A 1980s–90s two-story | Plano | Wildwood and Chesterfield in West County |
| A 2000s or newer master-planned home | Frisco, McKinney | Jefferson County’s newer communities: Eureka, Hillsboro, Fenton, Imperial |
| A 1960s–70s brick ranch | Richardson Heights, Garland, Mesquite | Oakville, Mehlville and Concord; Ballwin and Manchester in West County |
| An established, higher-priced neighborhood | Highland Park, University Park, Preston Hollow | Ladue, Clayton, Kirkwood and Webster Groves |
| An Uptown condo or townhome | Uptown, Oak Lawn | the Central West End and Clayton |
These are starting points, not exact twins. The biggest difference works in your favor: many St. Louis houses have a basement, a whole level a Dallas slab house doesn’t have. Read what changes before you compare prices.
Look at Wildwood first, then Chesterfield. Plano is largely built out: its median house was built in 1993, and half its housing went up in the 1980s and 1990s, according to Census data. Wildwood is the closest St. Louis match on age, with a 1992 median.
| Area | Median year built | Median size | Median price | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildwood | 1992 | 3,342 sq ft | $599,000 | 136 |
| Chesterfield | 1982 | 3,326 sq ft | $685,000 | 120 |
Chesterfield matches on size more than age: its median house is 3,326 sq ft but was built in 1982, and 44.2% of its 2026 sales were built from 1980 to 1999. Both are in West County, where prices run higher than most of the region. West County compared →
Look south, at Jefferson County. Frisco and McKinney are mostly new: Frisco’s median house was built in 2009 and McKinney’s in 2007, with about four in five of Frisco’s homes built since 2000, according to Census data. Most of St. Louis County was built decades earlier, so the region’s newest resale stock is in Jefferson County.
| Community | Median year built | Median size | Median price | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eureka (Jefferson Co. side) | 2021 | 2,092 sq ft | $469,900 | 23 |
| Herculaneum | 2009 | 1,691 sq ft | $319,900 | 19 |
| Fenton (Jefferson Co. side) | 2003 | 1,892 sq ft | $350,500 | 51 |
| Hillsboro | 2002 | 1,916 sq ft | $357,500 | 64 |
| Imperial | 1999 | 1,872 sq ft | $354,500 | 96 |
Expect smaller houses than in Frisco: these communities’ medians run about 1,700 to 2,100 sq ft, and many are ranches rather than two-stories. Expect fewer master-planned amenities, too, and check whether the subdivision has an HOA and what it covers. Inside St. Louis County, Oakville has the most newer houses in South County: 17.5% of its 2026 sales were built in 2000 or later. Jefferson County, community by community →
Look at South County and the older parts of West County. Garland’s median house was built in 1978, and the Richardson Heights area’s in 1973; Richardson as a whole runs later, at 1986, because of newer infill. In St. Louis, Oakville is the closest match on age, and Manchester matches Richardson Heights.
| Area | Median year built | Median size | Median price | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mehlville High area | 1966 | 1,766 sq ft | $323,500 | 148 |
| Concord | 1966 | 1,801 sq ft | $352,500 | 56 |
| Ballwin | 1968 | 2,279 sq ft | $419,950 | 86 |
| Manchester | 1973 | 1,971.5 sq ft | $416,500 | 60 |
| Oakville High area | 1979 | 2,288 sq ft | $385,000 | 137 |
Ranches are the most common style in these areas: 60.1% of Mehlville High-area sales and about half in Oakville and Concord listed a ranch style, and Ballwin had 44 ranch sales, the most in West County. The difference is underneath, and it works in your favor: many St. Louis ranches have a full basement, not a slab. What that adds → South County, community by community →
Look at Ladue, Clayton, Kirkwood and Webster Groves, and expect tiers, not one price band. Highland Park is a pre-war core with a steady wave of rebuilds: 27.5% of its housing was built before 1940, according to Census data. St. Louis’s established suburbs are older still on the whole, and mostly built out.
| City | Median price | Median year built | Median size | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webster Groves | $444,500 | 1936 | 1,936 sq ft | 82 |
| Kirkwood | $566,750 | 1951 | 2,315 sq ft | 80 |
| Clayton | $1,240,000 | 1936 | 3,636 sq ft | 28 |
| Ladue | $1,430,000 | 1955 | 4,400 sq ft | 27 |
Ladue and Clayton sit at the top; Kirkwood and Webster Groves are older, smaller and well under half the price. Like the Park Cities, all four are established cities where the location carries much of the price. Mid-County compared →
Look at the Central West End and Clayton. The Central West End is the walkable St. Louis neighborhood most like Uptown: restaurants, Forest Park and the medical campus within a few blocks, with condos, townhouses and some houses. Clayton is the business district, with condo buildings close to its offices. Older brick neighborhoods such as Lafayette Square and Soulard offer townhouse-style living near downtown.
If you’re buying a condo, read the HOA documents before you compare monthly costs. Where to live in St. Louis →
Because of the clay. North Texas soil swells when it’s wet and shrinks when it dries, so Dallas builders pour a slab and build up, adding a game room upstairs instead of a level below. St. Louis builders went down: a lot of the ranches and two-stories in the tables above sit on a full basement.
That’s why a St. Louis house can live bigger than its listing. The square footage here counts the floors above ground, so a Garland buyer comparing a 2,288 sq ft Oakville house, the 2026 median there, against a 2,300 sq ft Dallas two-story may be overlooking a whole level of storage, workshop or rec-room space underneath. How to compare square footage and what to check in a basement →
The ground, the taxes and the map. Five things catch Dallas buyers off guard:
Whatever the age of the house, get a sewer scope. I recommend one on every St. Louis home; it runs $150 to $300.
Before you move
Census county-to-county estimates for 2015–2019 counted 644 people moving from Dallas County to St. Louis County, and 184 moving the other way. That covers Dallas County only, not Collin or Denton County, and it doesn’t say who bought. Moving to St. Louis →
Yes. From Dallas it’s a full day on the road, so lean on a live video tour, a full inspection with the report sent to you, and a remote closing through the title company. Buying from out of state →
Yes. The Houston guide matches Katy, Sugar Land, Heights and Pasadena houses to St. Louis areas. Moving from Houston →
This is one piece of the St. Louis home buying process. See how it all fits together:
📚 Complete St. Louis Buyer Guide →Shopping from out of town? Before you give Zillow your number, read who’ll be calling. You can text me any address instead. Why it matters →
Grew up in South St. Louis, lived in Dogtown for 6 years, now in South County. You'll find us at Wellspring on Lindbergh on Sundays. I'm not selling you a house — I'm showing you how to think about buying or selling a house.
One text, email, or call is all it takes to put that experience to work for you.
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