?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Decatur, IL vs Springfield, IL

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Decatur needs about $86,500 in Springfield to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Springfield, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $83,500 in Decatur.

A few differences

Decatur vs Springfield · facet by facet
FacetDecatur, ILSpringfield, IL
Median home price$99,600$162,100
2-bedroom rent$860/mo$997/mo
Property tax rate2.1%2.1%
State & local income tax4.95%4.95%
Sales tax8.85%8.85%
Cost of living index7782
Groceries index9898
Utilities$165/mo$165/mo
Median household income$51,592$66,064
Unemployment rate4.7%4.7%
Crime index50/10050/100
School rating6.3/106.3/10
Sunny days / year190 days190 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Decatur, IL · Springfield, IL
Questions & answers
Is Decatur cheaper than Springfield?
Decatur has the lower day-to-day cost index (77 vs 82 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Springfield equals $85,000 in Decatur?
A household earning $85,000 in Decatur needs about $86,500 in Springfield to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Springfield lifestyle costs about $83,500 in Decatur.