What is the cost of living in Springfield?

Springfield has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 90.5, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 61.7, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,106/month.

What is the median salary in Springfield?

The median salary in Springfield is $59,334 annually (mean: $62,120). Top occupations include Fast Food and Counter Workers, Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers.

How safe is Springfield?

The violent crime rate in the Springfield area is 293 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1545 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Springfield?

The state of OH has 3,586 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 18.2:1. Charter schools make up 9.3% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Springfield?

Infant center-based childcare in the Springfield area averages $11,791 per year. Preschool averages $9,394/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Springfield a good place to relocate?

Springfield has a Life Score of 52.1/100 (D), based on 7 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 #232 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, OH

BEA RPP 90.5 ranks #108 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

90.5
Cost index (US=100): $1,106
2BR rent / mo: $59,334
Median salary: 48.9
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Springfield ranks #232 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (48.9/100), with its strongest marks in housing and cost of living.

#232
of 387 US metros · Near median: 11,883,304
metro-area population: 293
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 3,586
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: schools (13/100). 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 #232 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 90.5 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,106/mo, median salary $59,334; LiveAbility Score 48.9/100, strongest in housing and cost of living.

Signature: BEA RPP 90.5 ranks #108 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP 90.5 lands in the cheaper third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,106/mo.

LiveAbility 48.9/100 keeps Springfield in the middle third (#232 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Springfield area is 40,450.

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)

49 Top 60% higher than 40% 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 61.7 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,106/mo.

Studio

$763

/month

1 Bedroom

$843

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,106

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,355

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,572

/month

Springfield wages and employment

Springfield posts 40,450 total employment with median salary $59,334 against a cheaper-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$59,334

Mean Salary

$62,120

Total Employment

40,450

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$27,490
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators	$46,730
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	$58,810
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	$35,130
Retail Salespersons	$32,610

Schools & Education

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

Schools

3,586

Enrollment

1,675,943

Student:Teacher

18.2:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Springfield area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$11,791

per year

Toddler (Center)

$10,686

per year

Preschool (Center)

$9,394

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Springfield's composite Life Score is 52.1/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

72/100

Strong

Wages

24/100

Weak

Rent

79/100

Strong

Crime

57/100

Above average

Schools

87/100

Elite

Childcare

31/100

Weak

Environment

6/100

Bottom decile

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Springfield ranks #232 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 48.9/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Housing (79/100)

Housing

79
Cost of living

72
Safety

57
Low hazard

51
Air quality

39
Climate

38
Job market

24
Schools

13

What this shows Springfield's strongest dimensions are housing and cost of living; its weakest among scored dims is schools at 13/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Springfield to

Bangor Barnstable Town Baton Rouge Battle Creek Bay City Beaumont-Port Arthur

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 $59,334 median salary at a 90.5 cost index, ranking #232 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.