Moving from Boston to Springfield
You'd keep $1,033 more a month in Springfield
+$12,396 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Boston leftover
$1,880
a month after tax and rent
Springfield leftover
$2,913
+$1,033 vs Boston
| Per month | Boston | Springfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $9,042 | $7,654 | −$1,387 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,416 | $1,938 | −$478 |
| Take-home pay | $6,626 | $5,716 | −$910 |
| Rent | $2,619 | $895 | −$1,724 |
| Getting around | $445 | $539 | +$94 |
| Groceries | $464 | $378 | −$86 |
| Healthcare | $522 | $425 | −$97 |
| Utilities | $290 | $236 | −$54 |
| Everything else | $406 | $330 | −$76 |
| Left over | $1,880 | $2,913 | +$1,033 |
To break even in Springfield, you'd need to earn
$73,000
Household gross, versus $108,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Boston does now.
The tax difference alone
+$796
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 26.7% in Boston, 25.3% in Springfield.
More about Springfield
Boston, MA in full
Great pay in medicine and research, brutal winters, tight housing stock.
Springfield, IL in full
A flat 4.95% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,065 and 204 sunny days; commutes average 20 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Springfield on Springfield wages.
Springfield → Boston →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Springfield than Boston?
A one-bedroom is about $2,619 in Boston versus $895 in Springfield. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $1,033 a month higher in Springfield. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Springfield have state income tax?
Springfield is in Illinois, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Boston to Springfield?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Illinois tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.