City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Houston | Springfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,047/mo | 18.0% higher in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $198,500 | 18.4% higher in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $47,677 | 26.8% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 92.1 | 6.1% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 87.8 | 21.3% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 79.6 | 22.2% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 81.4 | 11.7% higher in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Houston, you'd need $85,940 in Springfield to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Springfield, MA is about 14.1% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 15% lower in Springfield than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $68,752 in Springfield to keep the same standard of living.