Rockford, IL vs Portland, OR
Moving from Rockford to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($221,368 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
Rockford vs Portland 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 $118,353 in Portland, OR (+$18,353).
Livability — Rockford, IL: 67 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,840 sqft in Rockford vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($130 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Rockford, IL | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,828 | $21,564 | +$5,736 |
| Groceries | $4,655 | $5,240 | +$585 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $3,680 | +$130 |
| Utilities | $2,208 | $1,704 | −$504 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $900 | −$1,000 |
| Taxes | $11,929 | $14,382 | +$2,453 |
| Total | $40,070 | $47,470 | +$7,400 |
Side by side
| Metric | Rockford, IL | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.2 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.53% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.9% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.13 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $221,368 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.5× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 9.1% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $130 | $325 |
| Median rent | $1,319 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.9% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 2.54% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |