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Moving to
Spanish Lake.
Spanish Lake is an unincorporated community in St. Louis County, MO. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Spanish Lake
Spanish Lake is an unincorporated community in Missouri with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Spanish Lake deals with household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and cold winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- High rent burden for renters
- Cold winters
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Spanish Lake compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Spanish Lake
Based on Spanish Lake's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,320
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $46,400 a year
- 58% of Spanish Lake renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$27,120
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $13,560
- Homes cost 2.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 18% below US
$1,160/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,160 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $135,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $135,600 · 58% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.1% county unemployment
Unemployment in St. Louis County is 4.1%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
St. Louis County (county-wide)
Safety
440 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Spanish Lake doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the St. Louis County Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs above the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 1429/100k · Policed by St. Louis County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
25 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.6 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 10% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 86°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 25°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 60% below US
14% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Gateway Arch National Park (11 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Spanish Lake's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,160/mo) equals 25% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Spanish Lake
All Missouri guides →Moving to Bellefontaine Neighbors →
3 mi away · pop. 10,498
Rent $1,151/mo · Income $49,170
Compare with Spanish Lake →Moving to Ferguson →
5 mi away · pop. 18,213
Rent $1,119/mo · Income $47,524
Compare with Spanish Lake →Moving to Old Jamestown →
5 mi away · pop. 20,651
Rent $1,835/mo · Income $99,521
Compare with Spanish Lake →Not sure Spanish Lake is the one?
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