City comparison
Decatur, IL is about 70 miles (125 km) from Peoria, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 90 miles, or about 1 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 Peoria, IL takes about 9 min, covering roughly 70 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.
Peoria has a population of 113,054, vs 70,975 in Decatur — about 1.6× larger by population. By land area, Peoria covers about 48 sq mi vs 44 sq mi for Decatur.
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 | Peoria | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $770/mo | $917/mo | 19.1% higher in Peoria |
| Median home value | $96,800 | $146,700 | 51.5% higher in Peoria |
| Median household income | $49,039 | $58,068 | 18.4% higher in Peoria |
| Groceries index | 93.9 | 93.9 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 91.2 | 90.6 | 0.6% higher in Decatur |
| Transportation index | 99.3 | 99.3 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 99.5 | 99.5 | ≈ equal |
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 $104,144 in Peoria to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Decatur, IL is about 4% cheaper overall than Peoria, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 14% higher in Peoria than in Decatur. If you earn $80,000 in Decatur, you'd need about $83,315 in Peoria to keep the same standard of living.