City comparison
Decatur, IL is about 175 miles (275 km) from Evanston, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 200 miles, or about 3 h 30 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 Decatur, IL to Evanston, IL takes about 20 min, covering roughly 175 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.
Evanston has a population of 77,181, vs 70,975 in Decatur — about the same size. By land area, Decatur covers about 44 sq mi vs 7.8 sq mi for Evanston.
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 | Decatur | Evanston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $770/mo | $1,625/mo | 111.0% higher in Evanston |
| Median home value | $96,800 | $454,600 | 369.6% higher in Evanston |
| Median household income | $49,039 | $93,188 | 90.0% higher in Evanston |
| Groceries index | 93.9 | 106.3 | 13.2% higher in Evanston |
| Utilities index | 91.2 | 84.3 | 8.1% higher in Decatur |
| Transportation index | 99.3 | 100.2 | 0.8% higher in Evanston |
| Healthcare index | 99.5 | 100.4 | 0.8% higher in Evanston |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Decatur, you'd need $132,358 in Evanston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Decatur, IL is about 24.4% cheaper overall than Evanston, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 100% higher in Evanston than in Decatur. If you earn $80,000 in Decatur, you'd need about $105,886 in Evanston to keep the same standard of living.