St. Louis, MO Rental Investment Market: DSCR & STR Numbers (June 2026)

The Read

What the numbers say about investing in St. Louis

St. Louis, MO posts a 0.71% rent-to-price ratio — solid, workable DSCR territory, though not a layup. With a $185,000 median price against $1,320 in monthly rent, the median deal can cover its payment, but the margin is thin enough that rate, taxes, and insurance assumptions decide which side of the qualification line you land on.

That ratio is right at the 0.71% median of our 15-metro DSCR leaderboard, and St. Louis, MO currently ranks #10 of 15 with a composite score of 73/100. Rent growth is running 2.9% year over year — modest momentum that helps coverage drift up over time without rescuing a deal that doesn't pencil now. Effective property tax of 1.38% is middle-of-the-pack — not a deal-changer either way, but it belongs in your PITIA math, not an afterthought.

Here's the honest math: at 20% down and today's indicative rate, the median St. Louis deal computes to roughly a 0.99 DSCR — below 1.0, meaning the rent doesn't fully cover the payment. That doesn't make the market uninvestable, but it does mean DSCR financing at the median price point requires bigger down payments, no-ratio programs at a premium, or deals bought meaningfully below the median.

St. Louis isn't on our short-term-rental board — the opportunity we track here is the long-term rental engine: Missouri lease economics, DSCR qualification, and rent momentum. Treat every number on this page as a metro-level screen, not an appraisal: rents and prices vary block by block, so run your actual address through the calculator and get a real quote before you write offers.

Data as of June 2026 — refreshed monthly. Metro-level estimates for screening, not underwriting.

St. Louis investor FAQ