Springfield, MO vs Detroit, MI
Moving from Springfield to Detroit? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($272,938 → $269,080 median home) and taxes.
Springfield vs Detroit 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 $110,186 in Detroit, MI (+$10,186).
Livability — Springfield, MO: 69 · Detroit, MI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,205 sqft in Springfield vs 3,066 sqft in Detroit ($156 vs $163 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Springfield, MO | Detroit, MI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,252 | $18,000 | +$2,748 |
| Groceries | $4,830 | $4,896 | +$66 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $4,575 | +$1,185 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $2,316 | +$804 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,300 | −$1,100 |
| Taxes | $9,116 | $9,547 | +$431 |
| Total | $36,500 | $40,634 | +$4,134 |
Side by side
| Metric | Springfield, MO | Detroit, MI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 98.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.91% | 6.60% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.8% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $272,938 | $269,080 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.7× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.4% | 2.8% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $163 |
| Median rent | $1,271 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 0.72% | 1.43% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | 0.61% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 21.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $78 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $184 | $74 |
| Home internet / mo | $86 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 16 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 41.7 | 34.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 16.6 | 45.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 53% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |