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CityLedger

Fort Wayne vs Springfield

Metro-area medians — Fort Wayne, IN Metro Area vs Springfield, MO Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Springfield comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Springfield is about 5% cheaper to live in, while Fort Wayne households earn about 6% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Fort Wayne, IN
$59,064
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$63,803
real value after local prices
Springfield, MO
$58,705
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$66,269
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Springfield leaves you about $2,467/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Fort Wayne
Springfield
Livability (CityLedger)
50/100
52/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
92.6
88.6
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$76,968
$75,881
Median household income
$71,251
$67,219
Median rent
$1,056/mo
$1,019/mo
Median home value
$245,800
$260,000
Unemployment
3.5%
2.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher
31.1%
32.8%
Average commute
22.9 min
22.5 min
Air quality (median AQI)
47
45
Avg temperature
51°F
56°F

Choose Fort Wayne for

  • + Median household income
  • + Median home value
Full Fort Wayne profile →

Choose Springfield for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median rent
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Springfield profile →

Fort Wayne vs Springfield — frequently asked

Is Fort Wayne cheaper than Springfield?
Springfield is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 5% below Fort Wayne's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Fort Wayne or Springfield?
Fort Wayne has the higher median household income — $71,251 versus $67,219 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Fort Wayne or Springfield?
It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($76,968 versus $75,881).
Which has cheaper rent, Fort Wayne or Springfield?
Springfield has cheaper rent — a median of $1,019/mo versus $1,056/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).