Rockford, IL vs Minneapolis, MN
Moving from Rockford to Minneapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($221,368 → $393,774 median home) and taxes.
Rockford vs Minneapolis 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 $115,678 in Minneapolis, MN (+$15,678).
Livability — Rockford, IL: 67 · Minneapolis, MN: 54 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,840 sqft in Rockford vs 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis ($130 vs $219 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Rockford, IL | Minneapolis, MN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,828 | $20,652 | +$4,824 |
| Groceries | $4,655 | $5,227 | +$572 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $3,375 | −$175 |
| Utilities | $2,208 | $1,776 | −$432 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $2,200 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $11,929 | $16,345 | +$4,416 |
| Total | $40,070 | $49,575 | +$9,505 |
Side by side
| Metric | Rockford, IL | Minneapolis, MN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.2 | 104.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.53% | 3.90% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.9% | 4.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.13 | $5.93 |
| Median home price | $221,368 | $393,774 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.5× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 9.1% | 2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $130 | $219 |
| Median rent | $1,319 | $1,721 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.9% | 12.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 8.10% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | 9.85% |
| Property tax rate | 2.54% | 1.10% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.58% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 16.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 280 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 4 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |