City comparison
Decatur, IL is about 125 miles (225 km) from Naperville, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 175 miles, or about 2 h 45 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 Naperville, IL takes about 16 min, covering roughly 125 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.
Naperville has a population of 149,089, vs 70,975 in Decatur — about 2.1× larger by population. By land area, Decatur covers about 44 sq mi vs 39 sq mi for Naperville.
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 | Naperville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $770/mo | $1,787/mo | 132.1% higher in Naperville |
| Median home value | $96,800 | $482,600 | 398.6% higher in Naperville |
| Median household income | $49,039 | $143,754 | 193.1% higher in Naperville |
| Groceries index | 93.9 | 106.4 | 13.3% higher in Naperville |
| Utilities index | 91.2 | 84.4 | 8.0% higher in Decatur |
| Transportation index | 99.3 | 100.3 | 1.0% higher in Naperville |
| Healthcare index | 99.5 | 100.2 | 0.7% higher in Naperville |
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 $133,011 in Naperville to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Decatur, IL is about 24.8% cheaper overall than Naperville, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 102% higher in Naperville than in Decatur. If you earn $80,000 in Decatur, you'd need about $106,409 in Naperville to keep the same standard of living.