City comparison
Decatur, IL is about 150 miles (250 km) from Oak Park, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 200 miles, or about 3 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 Decatur, IL to Oak Park, IL takes about 18 min, covering roughly 150 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.
Decatur has a population of 70,975, vs 53,834 in Oak Park — about 1.3× larger by population. By land area, Decatur covers about 44 sq mi vs 4.7 sq mi for Oak Park.
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 | Oak Park | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $770/mo | $1,409/mo | 83.0% higher in Oak Park |
| Median home value | $96,800 | $440,500 | 355.1% higher in Oak Park |
| Median household income | $49,039 | $103,264 | 110.6% higher in Oak Park |
| Groceries index | 93.9 | 106.3 | 13.2% higher in Oak Park |
| Utilities index | 91.2 | 84.3 | 8.1% higher in Decatur |
| Transportation index | 99.3 | 100.2 | 0.8% higher in Oak Park |
| Healthcare index | 99.5 | 100.4 | 0.8% higher in Oak Park |
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 $131,542 in Oak Park to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Decatur, IL is about 24% cheaper overall than Oak Park, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 98% higher in Oak Park than in Decatur. If you earn $80,000 in Decatur, you'd need about $105,234 in Oak Park to keep the same standard of living.