Rockford, IL vs Las Vegas, NV
Moving from Rockford to Las Vegas? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($221,368 → $430,650 median home) and taxes.
Rockford vs Las Vegas 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 $109,006 in Las Vegas, NV (+$9,006).
Livability — Rockford, IL: 67 · Las Vegas, NV: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,840 sqft in Rockford vs 2,206 sqft in Las Vegas ($130 vs $227 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Rockford, IL | Las Vegas, NV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,828 | $20,844 | +$5,016 |
| Groceries | $4,655 | $4,841 | +$187 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $4,740 | +$1,190 |
| Utilities | $2,208 | $1,548 | −$660 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $1,300 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $11,929 | $4,779 | −$7,150 |
| Total | $40,070 | $38,052 | −$2,018 |
Side by side
| Metric | Rockford, IL | Las Vegas, NV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.2 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.53% | 7.66% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.9% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.13 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $221,368 | $430,650 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.5× | 6.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 9.1% | -2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $130 | $227 |
| Median rent | $1,319 | $1,737 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.9% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 8.23% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | None |
| Property tax rate | 2.54% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.12% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 14.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 4.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 95 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |