Springfield, MA vs Tampa, FL
Moving from Springfield to Tampa? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($376,017 → $360,738 median home) and taxes.
Springfield vs Tampa 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 $104,492 in Tampa, FL (+$4,492).
Livability — Springfield, MA: 60 · Tampa, FL: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,260 sqft in Springfield vs 2,564 sqft in Tampa ($221 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Springfield, MA | Tampa, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,292 | $24,216 | +$924 |
| Groceries | $4,938 | $4,949 | +$11 |
| Transportation | $3,210 | $4,800 | +$1,590 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $1,656 | −$1,524 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $4,200 | +$2,400 |
| Taxes | $15,617 | $4,642 | −$10,974 |
| Total | $52,036 | $44,463 | −$7,574 |
Side by side
| Metric | Springfield, MA | Tampa, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.1 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.93% | 4.92% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 9.4% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.58 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $376,017 | $360,738 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.3× | 5.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.7% | -3.4% |
| Price per square foot | $221 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,941 | $2,018 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.00% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 0.80% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $21,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.25% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $108 | $38 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $71 | $88 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $76 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 52 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 47.1 | 49.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 51.7 | 0.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 56% | 66% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |