Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Springfield's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Springfield?
Your $100,000 in Springfield has the same purchasing power as $122,986 in the average US city. You'd need $22,986 less here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Springfield's cost index of 81, sorted by closest match.
People moving to Springfield usually have at least one specific reason. Most of them line up with what the data shows: living costs come in under the us baseline, a bike-friendly city by us standards, plus 2 more things worth knowing. Here's what's actually on the table.
Springfield sits at 81 on the composite cost-of-living index — about 19% under the national average. Not the cheapest place in the country, but enough of a discount to notice on rent and groceries every month. Median rent in town runs about $878/mo against a typical household income of $43,450, which is the kind of ratio that leaves room to save.
Springfield's Bike Score is 63/100 — the kind of number you only get when a city has built real bike infrastructure (protected lanes, connected routes, drivers who expect cyclists). For commuting or just for getting around, the bike is a serious option here, not a hobby.
Springfield's air quality index averages about 44 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
The average one-way commute in Springfield is about 18 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
Reasons are pulled from Springfield's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Springfield does winter the real way. Averages around 22°F keep snow on the ground for weeks at a time, and lakes and rivers tend to freeze hard enough to walk on.
Cold enough to plan around. Winter in Springfield averages roughly 22°F, with stretches where daytime highs don't break freezing for weeks. Decent insulation, a real coat, and a car that starts in cold weather are non-negotiable.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Springfield runs about 87°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Zone 7, give or take a half-zone. Springfield's typical winter low puts it in that band on the USDA Hardiness map, which is what nurseries label plants against. Use Zone 7 as your starting filter; the USDA's interactive map is more precise for borderline cases.
Springfield is at about 1,293 feet (394 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
The citywide numbers are concerning — about 6,375 per 100,000 residents, well above the US average of around 3,500. As with all crime stats, the city aggregate hides huge variation between neighborhoods, but the overall picture is worse than most US cities.
No — your dollar actually goes further here. Springfield's composite cost-of-living index is 81, roughly 19% under the US average. Housing is usually the biggest driver of the discount.
Somewhat. Springfield earns a Walk Score of 50/100 — many daily errands are doable on foot, especially in the denser neighborhoods, but a car still helps for longer trips.
Roughly $56,917 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Springfield runs about $878/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.