Baltimore, MD vs Rockford, IL
Moving from Baltimore to Rockford? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($405,877 → $221,368 median home) and taxes.
Baltimore vs Rockford at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Baltimore, MD, you'd need about $87,384 in Rockford, IL (−$12,616).
Livability — Baltimore, MD: 57 · Rockford, IL: 67 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,341 sqft in Baltimore vs 3,840 sqft in Rockford ($214 vs $130 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Baltimore, MD | Rockford, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,028 | $15,828 | −$7,200 |
| Groceries | $5,075 | $4,655 | −$420 |
| Transportation | $3,685 | $3,550 | −$135 |
| Utilities | $2,388 | $2,208 | −$180 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $1,900 | +$500 |
| Taxes | $11,584 | $11,929 | +$345 |
| Total | $47,160 | $40,070 | −$7,090 |
Side by side
| Metric | Baltimore, MD | Rockford, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.2 | 90.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.86% | 7.53% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | -0.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.87 | $5.13 |
| Median home price | $405,877 | $221,368 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 3.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.8% | 9.1% |
| Price per square foot | $214 | $130 |
| Median rent | $1,919 | $1,319 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.3% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 1.04% | 2.54% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 22.1 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 450 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 15 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |