Rockford, IL vs Baltimore, MD
Moving from Rockford to Baltimore? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($221,368 → $405,877 median home) and taxes.
Rockford vs Baltimore 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 Rockford, IL, you'd need about $114,438 in Baltimore, MD (+$14,438).
Livability — Rockford, IL: 67 · Baltimore, MD: 57 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,840 sqft in Rockford vs 2,341 sqft in Baltimore ($130 vs $214 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Rockford, IL | Baltimore, MD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,828 | $23,028 | +$7,200 |
| Groceries | $4,655 | $5,075 | +$420 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $3,685 | +$135 |
| Utilities | $2,208 | $2,388 | +$180 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $1,400 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $11,929 | $11,584 | −$345 |
| Total | $40,070 | $47,160 | +$7,090 |
Side by side
| Metric | Rockford, IL | Baltimore, MD |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.2 | 103.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.53% | 4.86% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.9% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.13 | $5.87 |
| Median home price | $221,368 | $405,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.5× | 4.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 9.1% | 0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $130 | $214 |
| Median rent | $1,319 | $1,919 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.9% | 11.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 2.54% | 1.04% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 22.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 450 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 27 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |