01 · the cities
Springfield
Springfield is where basketball was invented in 1891 (the Basketball Hall of Fame is right here), and where Dr. Seuss grew up (there's a sculpture garden downtown). The city's old industrial buildings are slowly coming back, and the surrounding Pioneer Valley is one of the prettiest stretches in New England. UMass is just up the road. Quieter than Boston, much cheaper.
full dispatch→Providence
Providence is what a college town looks like wearing a former industrial capital's old leather jacket. Brown and RISD pour creatives in by the thousand, Federal Hill has been feeding them red sauce since forever, and on summer nights WaterFire literally lights bonfires up and down the river. It's cheap enough that Boston refugees actually stay. The state capitol has the fourth-largest self-supporting marble dome in the world, and you'll be told within an hour of arrival.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,913/mo
$2,127/mo
$214/mo more than Springfield (10%)
Median home price
Median home price
$373k
$528k
$155k more than Springfield
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
6.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,004/mo
$5,707/mo
Springfield has $297/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
147 days
159 days
12 more than Springfield
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
1 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
47 days
35 days
days below 20°F per year
Springfield drops below 20°F on 12 more days per year than Providence.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
66 / 100
63 / 100
3.0 pts behind Springfield
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
26 routes
17 routes
9 fewer direct routes than Springfield
Metro size
Metro size
460k metro
1.7M metro
Springfield has 3.5x fewer events per month than Providence.
the verdict
6
Springfield
categories won
2
Providence
categories won
Springfield wins on money and lifestyle. Providence has the edge on weather.
run your numbers
How far does your Springfield salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works