Rockford, IL vs Boston, MA
Moving from Rockford to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($221,368 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Rockford vs Boston 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 $122,433 in Boston, MA (+$22,433).
Livability — Rockford, IL: 67 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,840 sqft in Rockford vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($130 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Rockford, IL | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,828 | $38,532 | +$22,704 |
| Groceries | $4,655 | $5,040 | +$385 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $3,210 | −$340 |
| Utilities | $2,208 | $3,180 | +$972 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $1,800 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $11,929 | $17,694 | +$5,765 |
| Total | $40,070 | $69,455 | +$29,386 |
Side by side
| Metric | Rockford, IL | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.2 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.53% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.9% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.13 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $221,368 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.5× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 9.1% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $130 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,319 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.9% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 2.54% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |