What is the cost of living in Springfield?

Springfield has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 88.6, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 65.6, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,095/month.

What is the median salary in Springfield?

The median salary in Springfield is $60,530 annually (mean: $64,754). Top occupations include General and Operations Managers, Stockers and Order Fillers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides.

How safe is Springfield?

The violent crime rate in the Springfield area is 463 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1972 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Springfield?

The state of MO has 2,321 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 12.8:1. Charter schools make up 3.5% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Springfield?

Childcare cost data is not currently available for Springfield.

Is Springfield a good place to relocate?

Springfield has a Life Score of 48.1/100 (D), based on 6 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Springfield sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Springfield ranks #134 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Springfield, MO

BEA RPP 88.6 ranks #67 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

88.6
Cost index (US=100): $1,095
2BR rent / mo: $60,530
Median salary: 54.7
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Springfield ranks #134 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (54.7/100), with its strongest marks in schools and cost of living.

#134
of 387 US metros · Above median: 6,245,466
metro-area population: 463
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 2,321
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: safety (14/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Springfield ranks #134 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 88.6 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,095/mo, median salary $60,530; LiveAbility Score 54.7/100, strongest in schools and cost of living.

Signature: BEA RPP 88.6 ranks #67 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP 88.6 lands in the cheaper third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,095/mo.

LiveAbility 54.7/100 keeps Springfield in the middle third (#134 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Springfield area is 216,300.

Springfield vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

55 Top 35% higher than 65% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Springfield housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Springfield MSA; housing RPP 65.6 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,095/mo.

Studio

$877

/month

1 Bedroom

$883

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,095

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,498

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,701

/month

Springfield wages and employment

Springfield posts 216,300 total employment with median salary $60,530 against a cheaper-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$60,530

Mean Salary

$64,754

Total Employment

216,300

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
General and Operations Managers	$76,290
Stockers and Order Fillers	$36,530
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$32,190
Registered Nurses	$79,370
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	$56,070

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Springfield area from NCES.

Schools

2,321

Enrollment

887,264

Student:Teacher

12.8:1

Title I %

Life Score Breakdown

Springfield's composite Life Score is 48.1/100 (D), computed across 6 of 7 dimensions (missing dims omitted; remaining weights renormalized).

Cost

83/100

Elite

Wages

19/100

Bottom decile

Rent

82/100

Elite

Crime

14/100

Bottom decile

Schools

12/100

Bottom decile

Environment

71/100

Strong

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Springfield ranks #134 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 54.7/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Schools (88/100)

Schools

88
Cost of living

83
Housing

82
Climate

82
Air quality

39
Job market

19
Low hazard

18
Safety

14

What this shows Springfield's strongest dimensions are schools and cost of living; its weakest among scored dims is safety at 14/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Springfield to

New Haven New Orleans-Metairie New York-Newark-Jersey City Niles North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota Norwich-New London-Willimantic

Metros near Springfield on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Springfield on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Springfield cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Springfield wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Springfield?

Springfield runs a $60,530 median salary at a 88.6 cost index, ranking #134 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Springfield's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Springfield head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Springfield
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.