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Rochester vs Springfield

Metro-area medians — Rochester, MN Metro Area vs Springfield, IL Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Rochester comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Rochester and Springfield cost about the same to live in, but Rochester households earn about 13% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Rochester.

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.

Rochester, MN
$57,702
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$63,534
real value after local prices
Springfield, IL
$57,601
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$62,107
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Rochester leaves you about $1,427/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
Rochester
Springfield
Livability (CityLedger)
88/100
69/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
90.8
92.7
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$99,739
$86,463
Median household income
$90,584
$80,190
Median rent
$1,378/mo
$1,047/mo
Median home value
$320,600
$197,600
Unemployment
2.3%
3.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
44.5%
42.1%
Average commute
19.7 min
19.4 min
Air quality (median AQI)
44
41
Avg temperature
45°F
54°F

Choose Rochester for

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

Choose Springfield for

  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Springfield profile →

Rochester vs Springfield — frequently asked

Is Rochester cheaper than Springfield?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Rochester and Springfield metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Rochester or Springfield?
Rochester has the higher median household income — $90,584 versus $80,190 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 13% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Rochester or Springfield?
A paycheck stretches further in Rochester. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $99,739 there versus $86,463 in Springfield.
Which has cheaper rent, Rochester or Springfield?
Springfield has cheaper rent — a median of $1,047/mo versus $1,378/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).