City comparison
Lee's Summit, MO is about 125 miles (225 km) from Springfield, MO in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 175 miles, or about 2 h 45 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Lee's Summit, MO to Springfield, MO takes about 16 min, covering roughly 125 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Springfield has a population of 168,873, vs 101,728 in Lee's Summit — about 1.7× larger by population. By land area, Springfield covers about 83 sq mi vs 64 sq mi for Lee's Summit.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
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 | Lee's Summit | Springfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,295/mo | $878/mo | 47.5% higher in Lee's Summit |
| Median home value | $291,400 | $146,400 | 99.0% higher in Lee's Summit |
| Median household income | $103,447 | $43,450 | 138.1% higher in Lee's Summit |
| Groceries index | 94.3 | 94.4 | ≈ equal (Springfield slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 89.3 | 86.4 | 3.4% higher in Lee's Summit |
| Transportation index | 93.7 | 93.4 | ≈ equal (Lee's Summit slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 93.9 | 93.6 | ≈ equal (Lee's Summit slightly higher) |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Lee's Summit, you'd need $89,322 in Springfield to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Springfield, MO is about 10.7% cheaper overall than Lee's Summit, MO, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 34% higher in Lee's Summit than in Springfield. If you earn $80,000 in Lee's Summit, you'd need about $71,458 in Springfield to keep the same standard of living.