Springfield, MO vs Charlotte, NC
Moving from Springfield to Charlotte? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($272,938 → $390,321 median home) and taxes.
Springfield vs Charlotte 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 $109,217 in Charlotte, NC (+$9,217).
Livability — Springfield, MO: 69 · Charlotte, NC: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,205 sqft in Springfield vs 2,561 sqft in Charlotte ($156 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Springfield, MO | Charlotte, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,252 | $20,880 | +$5,628 |
| Groceries | $4,830 | $4,834 | +$4 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $3,130 | −$260 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $1,752 | +$240 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $2,000 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $9,116 | $8,740 | −$376 |
| Total | $36,500 | $41,336 | +$4,836 |
Side by side
| Metric | Springfield, MO | Charlotte, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 97.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.91% | 4.71% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.8% | 10.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $5.54 |
| Median home price | $272,938 | $390,321 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.7× | 5.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.4% | -0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,271 | $1,740 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 0.72% | 0.72% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | 1.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.20 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $62 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $184 | $78 |
| Home internet / mo | $86 | $80 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 30 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 41.7 | 43.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 16.6 | 3.5 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 62% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |