Springfield vs Boston leftover
Moving to Boston costs you $134 a month
$1,953/mo leftover in Boston vs $2,087 in Springfield after tax and rent ($134 less). −$1,608 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Springfield leftover
$2,087
a month after tax and rent
Boston leftover
$1,953
−$134 vs Springfield
Compare Springfield to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Springfield.
Monthly gap
Springfield → Boston
$134
less / month in Springfield
$1,953 in Boston · $2,087 in Springfield · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 708 households moved Springfield → Boston (avg AGI $74,179). 818 went the other way. The whole move →
−$134 / mo
| Per month | Springfield | Boston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,542 | $9,047 | +$1,505 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,896 | $2,418 | +$522 |
| Take-home pay | $5,646 | $6,629 | +$984 |
| Rent | $1,528 | $2,549 | +$1,021 |
| Getting around | $580 | $445 | −$135 |
| Groceries | $400 | $464 | +$64 |
| Healthcare | $450 | $522 | +$72 |
| Utilities | $250 | $290 | +$40 |
| Everything else | $350 | $406 | +$56 |
| Left over | $2,087 | $1,953 | −$134 |
To break even in Boston, you'd need to earn
$111,000
Household gross, versus $90,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Springfield does now.
The tax difference alone
−$903
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 25.1% in Springfield, 26.7% in Boston.
More about Boston
Springfield, MA in full
A flat 5% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,819 and 186 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.
Boston, MA in full
Great pay in medicine and research, brutal winters, tight housing stock.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Boston on Boston wages.
Boston → Springfield →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Boston than Springfield?
A one-bedroom is about $1,528 in Springfield versus $2,549 in Boston. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $134 a month lower in Boston. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Boston have state income tax?
Boston is in Massachusetts, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Springfield to Boston?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Massachusetts 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.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Springfield and Boston moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
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.