What salary do you need to live in Springfield, MA?
For a single person: about $80,000/year before taxes to live comfortably. That's the gross income whose MA-taxed take-home covers roughly $1,734 rent plus everyday essentials, with a 20% cushion for savings. Figures include 2025 federal tax, FICA, and an effective 4.7% Massachusetts income tax.
What jobs here actually pay: the typical Springfield worker earns about $51,930/year (BLS OEWS, all occupations) — below the $64,500 a single person needs to cover local essentials, so a median local job alone runs 19% short.
Single person — est. essentials $4,243/mo
Tight
take-home covers $4,243/mo
$64,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $5,092/mo
$80,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $6,365/mo
$103,500/yr
2-person household — est. essentials $5,708/mo
Tight
take-home covers $5,708/mo
$84,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $6,850/mo
$103,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $8,562/mo
$130,500/yr
3-person household — est. essentials $6,860/mo
Tight
take-home covers $6,860/mo
$103,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $8,232/mo
$125,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $10,290/mo
$162,000/yr
4-person household — est. essentials $7,737/mo
Tight
take-home covers $7,737/mo
$117,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $9,284/mo
$143,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $11,606/mo
$186,500/yr
How we calculate this
Essentials = typical rent ($1,734) + a national non-housing baseline by household size ($2,450 for one person) + Massachusetts's combined sales tax on the taxable share of that spending. We then solve for the gross salary whose after-tax take-home hits each tier, including municipal income tax where the city levies one. These assume adults sharing a home. A household with young children also pays childcare, which in most cities is the largest line after rent — run a search with your own household to price it. Property taxes aren't modeled — see the methodology.
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