Springfield, MA vs Detroit, MI
Moving from Springfield to Detroit? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($376,017 → $269,080 median home) and taxes.
Springfield vs Detroit 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 $100,121 in Detroit, MI (+$121).
Livability — Springfield, MA: 60 · Detroit, MI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,260 sqft in Springfield vs 3,066 sqft in Detroit ($221 vs $163 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Springfield, MA | Detroit, MI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,292 | $18,000 | −$5,292 |
| Groceries | $4,938 | $4,896 | −$41 |
| Transportation | $3,210 | $4,575 | +$1,365 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $2,316 | −$864 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,300 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $15,617 | $9,547 | −$6,069 |
| Total | $52,036 | $40,634 | −$11,402 |
Side by side
| Metric | Springfield, MA | Detroit, MI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.1 | 98.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.93% | 6.60% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 9.4% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.58 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $376,017 | $269,080 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.3× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.7% | 2.8% |
| Price per square foot | $221 | $163 |
| Median rent | $1,941 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.00% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 1.43% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $21,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.25% | 0.61% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 21.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |