Springfield, MA vs Charlotte, NC
Moving from Springfield to Charlotte? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($376,017 → $390,321 median home) and taxes.
Springfield vs Charlotte 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 Springfield, MA, you'd need about $99,240 in Charlotte, NC (−$760).
Livability — Springfield, MA: 60 · Charlotte, NC: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,260 sqft in Springfield vs 2,561 sqft in Charlotte ($221 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Springfield, MA | Charlotte, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,292 | $20,880 | −$2,412 |
| Groceries | $4,938 | $4,834 | −$104 |
| Transportation | $3,210 | $3,130 | −$80 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $1,752 | −$1,428 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $2,000 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $15,617 | $8,740 | −$6,876 |
| Total | $52,036 | $41,336 | −$10,700 |
Side by side
| Metric | Springfield, MA | Charlotte, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.1 | 97.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.93% | 4.71% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 9.4% | 10.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.58 | $5.54 |
| Median home price | $376,017 | $390,321 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.3× | 5.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.7% | -0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $221 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,941 | $1,740 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.00% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 0.72% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $21,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.25% | 1.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |