Detroit, MI vs Springfield, MO
Moving from Detroit to Springfield? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($269,080 → $272,938 median home) and taxes.
Detroit vs Springfield at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Detroit, MI, you'd need about $90,755 in Springfield, MO (−$9,245).
Livability — Detroit, MI: 62 · Springfield, MO: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,066 sqft in Detroit vs 3,205 sqft in Springfield ($163 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Detroit, MI | Springfield, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,000 | $15,252 | −$2,748 |
| Groceries | $4,896 | $4,830 | −$66 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $3,390 | −$1,185 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,512 | −$804 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,400 | +$1,100 |
| Taxes | $9,547 | $9,116 | −$431 |
| Total | $40,634 | $36,500 | −$4,134 |
Side by side
| Metric | Detroit, MI | Springfield, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.2 | 89.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.60% | 3.91% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 4.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.59 | $5.07 |
| Median home price | $269,080 | $272,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 4.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 2.4% |
| Price per square foot | $163 | $156 |
| Median rent | $1,500 | $1,271 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 4.80% |
| Property tax rate | 1.43% | 0.72% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.00 |
| Natural gas / mo | $78 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $74 | $184 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $86 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 34.3 | 41.7 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 45.0 | 16.6 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 53% | 57% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |