Rockford, IL vs Charlotte, NC
Moving from Rockford to Charlotte? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($221,368 → $390,321 median home) and taxes.
Rockford vs Charlotte 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 $107,938 in Charlotte, NC (+$7,938).
Livability — Rockford, IL: 67 · Charlotte, NC: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,840 sqft in Rockford vs 2,561 sqft in Charlotte ($130 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Rockford, IL | Charlotte, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,828 | $20,880 | +$5,052 |
| Groceries | $4,655 | $4,834 | +$179 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $3,130 | −$420 |
| Utilities | $2,208 | $1,752 | −$456 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $2,000 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $11,929 | $8,740 | −$3,189 |
| Total | $40,070 | $41,336 | +$1,266 |
Side by side
| Metric | Rockford, IL | Charlotte, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.2 | 97.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.53% | 4.71% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.9% | 10.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.13 | $5.54 |
| Median home price | $221,368 | $390,321 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.5× | 5.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 9.1% | -0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $130 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,319 | $1,740 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.9% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 2.54% | 0.72% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |