City comparison
Downers Grove, 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 Downers Grove, 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 49,996 in Downers Grove — about 3.0× larger by population. By land area, Rockford covers about 65 sq mi vs 15 sq mi for Downers Grove.
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 | Downers Grove | Rockford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,535/mo | $906/mo | 69.4% higher in Downers Grove |
| Median home value | $425,000 | $114,100 | 272.5% higher in Downers Grove |
| Median household income | $115,461 | $50,744 | 127.5% higher in Downers Grove |
| Groceries index | 106.3 | 93.9 | 13.2% higher in Downers Grove |
| Utilities index | 84.3 | 89.6 | 6.3% higher in Rockford |
| Transportation index | 100.2 | 99.3 | 0.8% higher in Downers Grove |
| Healthcare index | 100.4 | 99.5 | 0.8% higher in Downers Grove |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Downers Grove, you'd need $81,090 in Rockford to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Rockford, IL is about 18.9% cheaper overall than Downers Grove, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 61% higher in Downers Grove than in Rockford. If you earn $80,000 in Downers Grove, you'd need about $64,872 in Rockford to keep the same standard of living.