Tucson Springfield

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Tucson to Springfield is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 96.9 to 92.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $199/mo.

+$3,876
BLS median salary higher in Springfield
429 to 277
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17:1 to 14:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$956
DOL infant care higher / yr in Springfield

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Strongly Favorable
Cost Index: 96.9 → 92.7
Rent Delta: -$199/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 4% lower cost of living
  • + $199/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + $4K higher median salary
  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 96.9 to 92.7 (ratio 0.96), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $199/mo ($2,388/yr) from $1,402 in Tucson to $1,203 in Springfield.

Springfield leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Springfield sits #125 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Tucson is #310/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $3,876 higher ($66,393 → $70,269). Labor-market size: 375,520 tracked jobs at origin vs 93,500 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Arizona 53 (D, #37/51) vs Illinois 58 (D, #31/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Tucson
Springfield
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 96.9
RPP 92.7
Springfield
Rent (2BR)
$1,402/mo
$1,203/mo
Springfield
Wages
$66,393
$70,269
Springfield
Crime
429 per 100K
277 per 100K
Springfield
Schools
17:1
14:1
Springfield
Childcare
$11,301/yr
$12,257/yr
Tucson
Environment
5259 violations
3029 violations
Springfield

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Arizona
53 D #37/51
Income tax
82
Property tax
80
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
22
Destination state · Illinois
58 D #31/51
Income tax
95
Property tax
46
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
46

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Tucson to see what you'd need to earn in Springfield to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Springfield
-

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026