Springfield, MO vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Springfield to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($272,938 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Springfield vs Columbus 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 $106,195 in Columbus, OH (+$6,195).
Livability — Springfield, MO: 69 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,205 sqft in Springfield vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($156 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Springfield, MO | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,252 | $18,288 | +$3,036 |
| Groceries | $4,830 | $4,706 | −$124 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $3,025 | −$365 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $2,100 | +$588 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,300 | −$1,100 |
| Taxes | $9,116 | $9,711 | +$595 |
| Total | $36,500 | $39,130 | +$2,630 |
Side by side
| Metric | Springfield, MO | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.91% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.8% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $272,938 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.7× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.4% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,271 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.72% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $78 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $184 | $104 |
| Home internet / mo | $86 | $76 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 20 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 41.7 | 41.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 16.6 | 28.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 50% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |