SalaryCompareTool

Springfield, MA vs Seattle, WA

Moving from Springfield to Seattle? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($376,017 → $750,279 median home) and taxes.

Springfield vs Seattle at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Springfield, MA Seattle, WA Cost-of-living index Springfield, MA — Cost-of-living index: 98 98 Seattle, WA — Cost-of-living index: 113 113 Median home price Springfield, MA — Median home price: $376k $376k Seattle, WA — Median home price: $750k $750k Price per sqft Springfield, MA — Price per sqft: $221 $221 Seattle, WA — Price per sqft: $417 $417 Median rent Springfield, MA — Median rent: $1,941 $1,941 Seattle, WA — Median rent: $2,232 $2,232 Combined sales tax Springfield, MA — Combined sales tax: 6.3% 6.3% Seattle, WA — Combined sales tax: 9.4% 9.4% Property tax rate Springfield, MA — Property tax rate: 1.59% 1.59% Seattle, WA — Property tax rate: 0.88% 0.88% Violent crime /100k Springfield, MA — Violent crime /100k: 330 330 Seattle, WA — Violent crime /100k: 375 375 Electricity ¢/kWh Springfield, MA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 29.4 29.4 Seattle, WA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.4 14.4 Avg commute (min) Springfield, MA — Avg commute (min): 23 23 Seattle, WA — Avg commute (min): 30 30 Avg summer high °F Springfield, MA — Avg summer high °F: 82° 82° Seattle, WA — Avg summer high °F: 76° 76° Avg winter low °F Springfield, MA — Avg winter low °F: 22° 22° Seattle, WA — Avg winter low °F: 37° 37°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Springfield, MA, you'd need about $114,952 in Seattle, WA (+$14,952).

Livability — Springfield, MA: 60 · Seattle, WA: 48 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,260 sqft in Springfield vs 1,200 sqft in Seattle ($221 vs $417 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategorySpringfield, MASeattle, WADifference
Housing $23,292 $26,784 +$3,492
Groceries $4,938 $5,405 +$468
Transportation $3,210 $4,075 +$865
Utilities $3,180 $1,548 −$1,632
Insurance $1,800 $1,500 −$300
Taxes $15,617 $8,826 −$6,790
Total $52,036 $48,138 −$3,898

Side by side

MetricSpringfield, MASeattle, WA
Cost-of-living index98.1112.7
Unemployment rate5.93%4.59%
Population growth (5-yr)9.4%7.1%
Air quality (median AQI)3847
Big Mac price (est.)$5.58$6.41
Median home price$376,017$750,279
Home price ÷ income5.3×7.0×
1-yr home appreciation2.7%-1.9%
Price per square foot$221$417
Median rent$1,941$2,232
Total tax burden (% income)11.5%10.7%
Combined sales tax6.25%9.38%
Capital gains tax9.00%7.00%
Property tax rate1.59%0.88%
Healthcare (annual)$8,200$6,600
Childcare (annual, infant)$21,000$16,000
Vehicle property tax2.25%None
Avg commute (min)2330
Home insurance / yr$1,800$1,500
Auto insurance / yr$1,500$1,600
Flood insurance / yr$800$700
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$700
Electricity ¢/kWh29.414.4
Gas $/gal3.304.55
Violent crime /100k330375
Avg summer high °F8276
Avg winter low °F2237
Permit difficulty (1–5)45
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