Springfield, MA Cost Of Living

Springfield cost of living index

In the event that the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used. Each cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. If the amount is below 100, it is lower than the national average. If the amount is above 100, it is higher than the national average.
Index	Springfield	Massachusetts	National
Cost of living index	102	131	100
Index	Springfield	Massachusetts	National
Goods & Services index	118	120	100
Groceries index	101	107	100
Health care index	114	120	100
Housing index	82	165	100
Transportation index	113	106	100
Utilities index	96	123	100

The above illustration supplies generalized information for the Springfield, MA cost of living index. Compared to other cities in Massachusetts and cities across the country, the cost of living index in Springfield, MA is 102, which is 22% lower than the Massachusetts average and 2% higher than that for the entire country. The index is comprised of the following criteria: cost of retail goods and services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), cost of public/private transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). Everyday goods and services, along with housing account for 63 percent of the total cost of living index. Goods and services that are a necessity regardless of location provide an accurate general sense of the cost of living in one city versus another. As seen above, the cost of retail goods and services in Springfield, MA are 2% lower than the average for Massachusetts and 18% higher than the rest of the country.

Did you know?

The cost of living in Springfield is 22% lower than the Massachusetts average.
The cost of living in Springfield is 2% higher than the national average.
The cost of housing in Springfield is 18% lower than the national average.
Massachusetts general sales tax is 23% higher than the national average.
Massachusetts state income tax is 129% higher than the national average.

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Use the salary calculator to compare your current salary in Springfield, MA to any other city. The salary calculator will tell you how much you would need to earn in any given city to maintain the same standard of living based on the cost of living in each city. For example, if the cost of living in the city you are looking to relocate to is higher than the cost of living in Springfield, MA, then you would need to earn more income in order to maintain the same standard of living. To use the Springfield, MA salary calculator, simply enter in the name of the new city, then adjust the slider to your current income. The salary calculator will do the rest and let you know if you need to earn more or less in the new city. You will also see a complete breakdown of the cost of living.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$60,350	$5,029	$1,408	$1,811
Renters	$19,232	$1,603	$449	$577

The percent of monthly income spent on housing can be a good indicator of the affordability of housing in Springfield, MA as well as the overall cost of living. As a general rule of thumb, the debt-to-income ratio (DTI) for homeowners or renters should be not more than 28 percent of gross income to be spent on housing related costs and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses, including debts. The median income for Springfield, MA homeowners, is $60,350. This would allow for a maximum of $1,408 per month to be spent on housing costs. For renters, the median monthly income is $19,232 which would result in a maximum of $449 to be spent on rental costs.

Massachusetts Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Massachusetts	6.25%	6.25%

Massachusetts Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Massachusetts	5.1%	5.1%

For those who live in Springfield, MA and want to know what the true cost of living is, they ought to look at both the Massachusetts income tax rate and the Massachusetts sales tax rate. By sales tax, we mean the taxes that are included whenever a person is purchasing any goods or services. The amount that is taxed depends upon the particular state, where some states have a sales tax of zero percent while others can have a tax higher than seven percent. In Massachusetts, the sales tax is 6.25%, while the most you'll pay in surtax is 6.25%. There is also income tax to consider, which is based upon the amount of money made in a year. Just like sales tax, income tax depends upon the particular state but also depends upon what tax bracket the person is in. Income tax for the state can be higher than nine percent in some states to zero percent in others. For those that live in Massachusetts, the income tax rate ranges between 5.1% to 5.1%.

Goods & Services

Item	Springfield	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$20.50	$16.09	27.4%
Beauty Salon	$51.67	$37.33	38.4%
Toothpaste	$2.49	$2.45	1.7%
Shampoo	$0.88	$1.00	11.7%
Movie	$10.63	$10.28	3.4%
Bowling	$6.46	$4.93	31.0%

Groceries

Item	Springfield	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.94	$3.80	3.6%
Fried Chicken	$1.67	$1.40	19.8%
Milk	$2.01	$2.01	0.1%
Potatoes	$3.49	$3.01	15.9%
Pizza	$10.32	$9.89	4.4%
Beer	$9.82	$8.90	10.4%

Health Care

Item	Springfield	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$120.00	$102.16	17.5%
Doctor	$125.00	$108.36	15.4%
Dentist	$123.03	$92.53	33.0%
Ibuprofen	$8.66	$9.28	6.7%
Lipitor	$356.99	$425.82	16.2%

Housing

Item	Springfield	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$146,400.00	$184,700.00	20.7%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,580.54	$1,202.44	31.4%
Apartment Rent	$839.00	$949.00	11.6%

Transportation

Item	Springfield	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.39	$2.24	6.3%
Tire Balancing	$58.58	$46.29	26.5%

Utilities

Item	Springfield	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$174.17	$165.96	4.9%
Phone	$24.99	$28.68	12.9%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Stafford Springs, CT	5,044	104	4%
Chicopee, MA	56,100	105	5%
Palmer Town, MA	12,145	105	5%
Holyoke, MA	40,280	106	6%
Thompsonville, CT	8,873	107	7%
Springfield, MA	153,991	102	2%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Macon-Bibb County, GA	153,925	84	-16%
Hayward, CA	154,507	145	45%
Pasadena, TX	153,286	87	-13%
Cary, NC	155,822	116	16%
Salinas, CA	155,889	121	21%
Springfield, MA	153,991	102	2%

Source: The Springfield, MA cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2017.

Springfield, MA Cost of Living