City comparison
Arlington Heights, IL is about 60 miles (90 km) from Rockford, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 70 miles, or about 1 h 15 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Arlington Heights, IL to Rockford, IL takes about 7 min, covering roughly 60 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Rockford has a population of 148,173, vs 76,794 in Arlington Heights — about 1.9× larger by population. By land area, Rockford covers about 65 sq mi vs 17 sq mi for Arlington Heights.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Arlington Heights | Rockford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,660/mo | $906/mo | 83.2% higher in Arlington Heights |
| Median home value | $396,500 | $114,100 | 247.5% higher in Arlington Heights |
| Median household income | $113,502 | $50,744 | 123.7% higher in Arlington Heights |
| Groceries index | 106.3 | 93.9 | 13.2% higher in Arlington Heights |
| Utilities index | 84.3 | 89.6 | 6.3% higher in Rockford |
| Transportation index | 100.2 | 99.3 | 0.8% higher in Arlington Heights |
| Healthcare index | 100.4 | 99.5 | 0.8% higher in Arlington Heights |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Arlington Heights, you'd need $80,798 in Rockford to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Rockford, IL is about 19.2% cheaper overall than Arlington Heights, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 62% higher in Arlington Heights than in Rockford. If you earn $80,000 in Arlington Heights, you'd need about $64,638 in Rockford to keep the same standard of living.