Springfield, MO vs Baltimore, MD
Moving from Springfield to Baltimore? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($272,938 → $405,877 median home) and taxes.
Springfield vs Baltimore 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, MO, you'd need about $115,794 in Baltimore, MD (+$15,794).
Livability — Springfield, MO: 69 · Baltimore, MD: 57 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,205 sqft in Springfield vs 2,341 sqft in Baltimore ($156 vs $214 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Springfield, MO | Baltimore, MD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,252 | $23,028 | +$7,776 |
| Groceries | $4,830 | $5,075 | +$245 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $3,685 | +$295 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $2,388 | +$876 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,400 | −$1,000 |
| Taxes | $9,116 | $11,584 | +$2,468 |
| Total | $36,500 | $47,160 | +$10,660 |
Side by side
| Metric | Springfield, MO | Baltimore, MD |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 103.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.91% | 4.86% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.8% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $5.87 |
| Median home price | $272,938 | $405,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.7× | 4.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.4% | 0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $214 |
| Median rent | $1,271 | $1,919 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 11.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.72% | 1.04% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 22.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $88 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $184 | $106 |
| Home internet / mo | $86 | $82 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 450 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 27 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 41.7 | 45.0 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 16.6 | 19.3 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 57% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |