Springfield, MA vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Springfield to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($376,017 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Springfield vs Columbus 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 $96,494 in Columbus, OH (−$3,506).
Livability — Springfield, MA: 60 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,260 sqft in Springfield vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($221 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Springfield, MA | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,292 | $18,288 | −$5,004 |
| Groceries | $4,938 | $4,706 | −$232 |
| Transportation | $3,210 | $3,025 | −$185 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $2,100 | −$1,080 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,300 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $15,617 | $9,711 | −$5,905 |
| Total | $52,036 | $39,130 | −$12,906 |
Side by side
| Metric | Springfield, MA | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.1 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.93% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 9.4% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.58 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $376,017 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.3× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.7% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $221 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,941 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.00% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $21,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.25% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |