?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Springfield, VA vs Sterling, VA

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 Springfield needs about $73,000 in Sterling to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Sterling, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $97,000 in Springfield.

A few differences

Springfield vs Sterling · facet by facet
FacetSpringfield, VASterling, VA
Median home price$640,300$526,000
2-bedroom rent$2,508/mo$1,923/mo
Property tax rate0.87%0.87%
State & local income tax4.36%4.36%
Sales tax5.75%5.75%
Cost of living index131117
Groceries index100100
Utilities$175/mo$175/mo
Median household income$125,999$123,303
Unemployment rate2.9%2.9%
Crime index32/10032/100
School rating6.8/106.8/10
Sunny days / year210 days210 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: Springfield, VA · Sterling, VA
Questions & answers
Is Springfield cheaper than Sterling?
Sterling has the lower day-to-day cost index (117 vs 131 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Sterling equals $85,000 in Springfield?
A household earning $85,000 in Springfield needs about $73,000 in Sterling to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Sterling lifestyle costs about $97,000 in Springfield.