Overall
96.1
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Springfield, MA
Cost-of-living indicators for Springfield, MA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 96.1
- Overall RPP
- #144
- of 387 metros
- 75.8
- Rents RPP
- $104K
- $100K national buys
Springfield ranks #144 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 3.4 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to York-Hanover
The verdict
Springfield costs less than 37% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 96.1, 3.9% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 155.0.
- bottom 63%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 97.0
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 155.0
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $104,101 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $96,061.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Springfield's overall RPP fell -2.0 points, from 98.1 in 2023 to 96.1 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 78.5 to 75.8. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 3.4 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2013, when the index jumped 3.6 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Springfield overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 99.5 |
| 2009 | 101.8 |
| 2010 | 98.7 |
| 2011 | 97.7 |
| 2012 | 97.8 |
| 2013 | 101.3 |
| 2014 | 98.9 |
| 2015 | 99.7 |
| 2016 | 99.4 |
| 2017 | 99.4 |
| 2018 | 97.4 |
| 2019 | 97.8 |
| 2020 | 99.1 |
| 2021 | 97.7 |
| 2022 | 98.9 |
| 2023 | 98.1 |
| 2024 | 96.1 |
Springfield vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
96 Top 37% higher than 63% of 387 US metros
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, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Springfield cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
75.8 RPP
- Services
Services
155 RPP
- Overall
Overall
96.1 RPP
- Goods
Goods
97 RPP
What this shows Springfield's strongest departure is services at 155.0; rents follows at 75.8. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Springfield's cost comes from
Metros near Springfield's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Springfield (Springfield, this metro): goods RPP 97, rents RPP 75.8
- York: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 79.8
- Vineland: goods RPP 99.8, rents RPP 83.9
- Racine: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 92
- Logan: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 91
- Buffalo: goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 81
- Nashville: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 104.6
Price Index Summary
Goods
97.0
Below avg
Services
155.0
Expensive
Rents
75.8
Cheap
Service-cost-led profile
How Springfield's cost structure works
Services are the defining pressure in Springfield: the BEA services component is 155.0, farther above the national baseline than local rents or tradable goods. That service-heavy pattern explains an overall RPP of 96.1 differently from a housing-led metro.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Pittsfield, MA, Merced, CA, Visalia, CA. They resemble Springfield across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Springfield's overall index has fallen by 3.4 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$96,061
in Springfield, MA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$48,031
$75,000 nationally
$72,046
$125,000 nationally
$120,076
$150,000 nationally
$144,092
$200,000 nationally
$192,122
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
56/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
56th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
MA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Springfield, MA near the bottom of MA's metros
Among the 6 MA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Springfield, MA ranks #2 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Springfield, MA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 6
0th percentile in MA
Services prices
#4 of 6
33rd percentile in MA
Rent prices
#5 of 6
17th percentile in MA
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within MA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Springfield, MA: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (96.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (75.8 here).
Other MA Metros
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 108.3 Worcester, MA 102.5 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA 100.2 Barnstable Town, MA 98.4 Pittsfield, MA 95.1
View all MA metros → Cheapest in MA → Most expensive in MA →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Springfield's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Pittsfield, MA
Goods 97.0 · Services 153.7 · Rents 73.5 Merced, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 158.3 · Rents 78.6 Visalia, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 156.4 · Rents 84.1 El Centro, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 157.2 · Rents 66.3 Barnstable Town, MA
Goods 97.0 · Services 158.4 · Rents 90.0 Waterbury-Shelton, CT
Goods 97.3 · Services 147.6 · Rents 89.1
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Springfield, MA's index of 96.1.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Springfield
How to read Springfield's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $104,101 in Springfield. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 155.0, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Springfield head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Springfield, MA?
Springfield, MA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 96.1, meaning it is 3.9% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 97.0, services at 155.0, and rents at 75.8. It ranks #144 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Springfield, MA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $96,061 in Springfield, MA. Conversely, $100K earned in Springfield, MA has the purchasing power of $104,101 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Springfield, MA?
Rents in Springfield, MA are indexed at 75.8, which is 24.2% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Springfield, MA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Springfield, MA's overall cost index changed by -3.4 points (from 99.5 to 96.1). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Springfield, MA?
The priciest category in Springfield, MA is services at 155.0, 55.0% above the national average. The most affordable category is rents at 75.8, 24.2% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Springfield, MA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include York-Hanover, Vineland, Racine-Mount Pleasant. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Springfield, MA's 96.1.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.