City comparison
Des Plaines, IL is about 60 miles (100 km) from Rockford, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 80 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 Des Plaines, 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 60,087 in Des Plaines — about 2.5× larger by population. By land area, Rockford covers about 65 sq mi vs 14 sq mi for Des Plaines.
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 | Des Plaines | Rockford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,300/mo | $906/mo | 43.5% higher in Des Plaines |
| Median home value | $304,100 | $114,100 | 166.5% higher in Des Plaines |
| Median household income | $86,552 | $50,744 | 70.6% higher in Des Plaines |
| Groceries index | 106.3 | 93.9 | 13.2% higher in Des Plaines |
| Utilities index | 84.3 | 89.6 | 6.3% higher in Rockford |
| Transportation index | 100.2 | 99.3 | 0.8% higher in Des Plaines |
| Healthcare index | 100.4 | 99.5 | 0.8% higher in Des Plaines |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Des Plaines, you'd need $81,634 in Rockford to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Rockford, IL is about 18.4% cheaper overall than Des Plaines, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 58% higher in Des Plaines than in Rockford. If you earn $80,000 in Des Plaines, you'd need about $65,307 in Rockford to keep the same standard of living.