Springfield, MO vs Denver, CO
Moving from Springfield to Denver? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($272,938 → $573,221 median home) and taxes.
Springfield vs Denver 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 $118,694 in Denver, CO (+$18,694).
Livability — Springfield, MO: 69 · Denver, CO: 52 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,205 sqft in Springfield vs 1,657 sqft in Denver ($156 vs $302 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Springfield, MO | Denver, CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,252 | $22,920 | +$7,668 |
| Groceries | $4,830 | $5,079 | +$249 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $4,050 | +$660 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $1,788 | +$276 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $2,800 | +$400 |
| Taxes | $9,116 | $9,828 | +$712 |
| Total | $36,500 | $46,464 | +$9,964 |
Side by side
| Metric | Springfield, MO | Denver, CO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 105.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.91% | 4.26% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.8% | 5.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $6.02 |
| Median home price | $272,938 | $573,221 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.7× | 5.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.4% | -2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $302 |
| Median rent | $1,271 | $1,910 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 7.77% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 0.72% | 0.52% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | 1.79% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 16.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $65 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $184 | $120 |
| Home internet / mo | $86 | $87 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 18 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 41.7 | 15.4 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 16.6 | 49.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 69% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |