Rockford, IL vs Indianapolis, IN
Moving from Rockford to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($221,368 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.
Rockford vs Indianapolis 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 $104,973 in Indianapolis, IN (+$4,973).
Livability — Rockford, IL: 67 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,840 sqft in Rockford vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($130 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Rockford, IL | Indianapolis, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,828 | $18,636 | +$2,808 |
| Groceries | $4,655 | $4,740 | +$85 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $3,250 | −$300 |
| Utilities | $2,208 | $1,932 | −$276 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $1,600 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $11,929 | $7,367 | −$4,562 |
| Total | $40,070 | $37,525 | −$2,545 |
Side by side
| Metric | Rockford, IL | Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.2 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.53% | 4.28% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.9% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.13 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $221,368 | $295,921 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.5× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 9.1% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $130 | $156 |
| Median rent | $1,319 | $1,553 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.9% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 2.54% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |