Rockford, IL vs Kansas City, MO
Moving from Rockford to Kansas City? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($221,368 → $329,641 median home) and taxes.
Rockford vs Kansas City 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 $103,368 in Kansas City, MO (+$3,368).
Livability — Rockford, IL: 67 · Kansas City, MO: 67 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,840 sqft in Rockford vs 2,654 sqft in Kansas City ($130 vs $188 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Rockford, IL | Kansas City, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,828 | $18,576 | +$2,748 |
| Groceries | $4,655 | $4,828 | +$173 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $3,390 | −$160 |
| Utilities | $2,208 | $1,512 | −$696 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $2,400 | +$500 |
| Taxes | $11,929 | $10,526 | −$1,403 |
| Total | $40,070 | $41,232 | +$1,162 |
Side by side
| Metric | Rockford, IL | Kansas City, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.2 | 93.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.53% | 4.18% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.9% | 4.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.13 | $5.30 |
| Median home price | $221,368 | $329,641 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.5× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 9.1% | 3.5% |
| Price per square foot | $130 | $188 |
| Median rent | $1,319 | $1,548 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.9% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | 4.80% |
| Property tax rate | 2.54% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.00 |
| Natural gas / mo | $82 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $57 | $184 |
| Home internet / mo | $77 | $86 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 40.9 | 39.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 38.8 | 18.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 54% | 60% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |