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CityLedger

Roanoke vs Springfield

Metro-area medians — Roanoke, VA Metro Area vs Springfield, MA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Roanoke comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Roanoke and Springfield are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Roanoke.

Their widest everyday difference: Roanoke has the tighter job market — 2.6% unemployment versus 4%.

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.

Roanoke, VA
$57,747
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$61,684
real value after local prices
Springfield, MA
$57,564
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$59,924
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Roanoke leaves you about $1,760/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
Roanoke
Springfield
Livability (CityLedger)
55/100
44/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
93.6
96.1
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$77,503
$74,330
Median household income
$72,557
$71,402
Median rent
$1,188/mo
$1,158/mo
Median home value
$278,000
$331,300
Unemployment
2.6%
4%
Bachelor's degree or higher
31.8%
29.3%
Average commute
22.2 min
24 min
Air quality (median AQI)
40
38
Avg temperature
58°F
49°F

Choose Roanoke for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
Full Roanoke profile →

Choose Springfield for

  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Springfield profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Roanoke and Springfield on cost, income, size, and education.

Roanoke vs Green Bay→Roanoke vs Billings→Roanoke vs Peoria→Springfield vs Scranton→Springfield vs Reading→Springfield vs Fort Wayne→

Roanoke vs Springfield — frequently asked

Is Roanoke cheaper than Springfield?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Roanoke and Springfield metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Roanoke or Springfield?
Household incomes are similar — $72,557 in the Roanoke metro versus $71,402 in Springfield (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
Does a paycheck go further in Roanoke or Springfield?
A paycheck stretches further in Roanoke. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $77,503 there versus $74,330 in Springfield.
Which has cheaper rent, Roanoke or Springfield?
Springfield has cheaper rent — a median of $1,158/mo versus $1,188/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).