What a University City home costs each year
Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.
Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.
Starts at $58,273 of value before exemptions. Typical use.
- Property tax$3,498
6.003% of $58,273
- Electricity and gas$2,388
1011 kWh a month $1,527 · 31 therms $663 · gross receipts tax $197
- Water and sewer$2,221
7,000 gallons a month on Missouri American Water (St. Louis County): water $86, sewer $99 a month
- Trash$239
Trash, recycling, yard waste, leaf and bulk item collection (single and two-family), $20 a month
- Home insurance$1,678
Typical premium $1,678
A typical University City house costs about $10,000 a year: $3,500 property tax and charges, $2,220 water and sewer, $240 trash, $2,390 electricity and gas, $1,680 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.
Rates checked Oct 31, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.
Ways to pay less
Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:
Seniors: reduced trash rate
The city lists a senior rate of $101.40 per six months for single and two-family homes, versus $119.40.
How: Ask the Finance Department, (314) 505-8544.
Money dates
- Dec 31: Real estate tax bills duein 56 daysTaxes are billed on November 1 and are due and payable on or before December 31 to the St. Louis County Department of Revenue.
Who serves this house
- Water
- Missouri American Water (St. Louis County)
- Missouri-American Water, St. Louis County: Rate W Water & Sewer Infrastructure Replacement Surcharge (WSIRA), effective August 15, 2026.
- Property tax
- 6.00% of value
- 2025 tax year, St. Louis County (University City School District)
- Garbage
- City of University City
- City trash, recycling, yard waste, leaf and bulk collection, billed by the Finance Department every six months.
- Sewer
- Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District
- MSD bills a base charge plus a volume charge.
Other MO cities
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How these numbers are made
- Property tax: 2025 levies (State Auditor, University City resolution) for the University City School District area, per $100 of assessed value on 19% of the Census median home value; the sewer district, MSD and zoo-museum levies are summed.
- Not included: Loop and Parkview Gardens special business district levies (only some parcels), and the St. Louis County service line charge (Missouri American tariff RT 17).
- Water: Missouri American Water Rate A for St. Louis County ($11.00 per month, $10.3749 per 1,000 gallons) plus the $0.75071 per 1,000 gallons surcharge effective Aug. 15, 2026. A rate case filed July 1, 2026 is pending.
- Sewer: MSD base charge $34.85 per month plus $7.15 per CCF of winter-quarter water use, shown here per 1,000 gallons; use here is the household water use.
- Trash: $119.40 per six months halved to $19.90 per month. Electricity: Ameren Missouri Schedule 1(M) customer charge $9.00 + $0.19 low-income pilot charge = $9.19; energy rate = (4 summer months at 15.60¢ + 8 winter months at 10.62¢ or 7.14¢) / 12 + 0.445¢ fuel adjustment (rider FAC) = 12.725¢ for the first 750 kWh and 10.405¢ above. Gas: Spire Missouri rates for St. Louis County. Both with the city 9% gross receipts tax.
- Fuel adjustment rider $0.00445/kWh applies only Oct 1 2026-Jan 31 2027, so it is excluded from the annual blend.
- Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.
How University City compares
A typical University City house against the 43 Missouri cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.
| Per year | University City | Median | Where it falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property tax rate | 6.00% | 5.64% | higher than 27 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover |
| Water | $1,031 | $680 | higher than 34 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover |
| Sewer and utility-bill fees | $1,190 | $805 | higher than 34 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover |
| Trash | $239 | $261 | lower than 21 of the other 31 Missouri cities we cover |
| Electricity and gas | $2,388 | $2,357 | higher than 24 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover |
| Home insurance | $1,678 | $1,872 | lower than 16 of the other 26 Missouri cities we cover |
| Total | $10,024 | $8,070 | higher than 32 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover |
Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.
Questions to ask your candidates
Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.
1. Water
The fact: Water here costs about $1,031 a year at typical use, higher than 34 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover.
Ask: "Water here costs about $1,031 a year at typical use, higher than 34 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"
2. Sewer and utility-bill fees
The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $1,190 a year, higher than 34 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover. Some cities bill sewer on the property tax bill instead, which is not counted here.
Ask: "Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here cost about $1,190 a year, higher than 34 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"
Common questions about University City house costs
What is the property tax rate in University City?
About 6.00% of the value before exemptions a year (2025 tax year, St. Louis County (University City School District)), plus flat charges on the same bill.
How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in University City?
About $30,014 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.
How much is the water bill in University City?
About $185 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on Missouri American Water (St. Louis County).
How much does trash pickup cost in University City?
$20 a month for a house.
Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in University City?
Yes. Seniors: reduced trash rate: The city lists a senior rate of $101.40 per six months for single and two-family homes, versus $119.40.
How much does a house in University City cost to run each year?
A typical University City house costs about $10,000 a year: $3,500 property tax and charges, $2,220 water and sewer, $240 trash, $2,390 electricity and gas, $1,680 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.