City comparison
Evanston, IL is about 70 miles (125 km) from Rockford, 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 Evanston, IL to Rockford, 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.
Rockford has a population of 148,173, vs 77,181 in Evanston — about 1.9× larger by population. By land area, Rockford covers about 65 sq mi vs 7.8 sq mi for Evanston.
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 | Evanston | Rockford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,625/mo | $906/mo | 79.4% higher in Evanston |
| Median home value | $454,600 | $114,100 | 298.4% higher in Evanston |
| Median household income | $93,188 | $50,744 | 83.6% higher in Evanston |
| Groceries index | 106.3 | 93.9 | 13.2% higher in Evanston |
| Utilities index | 84.3 | 89.6 | 6.3% higher in Rockford |
| Transportation index | 100.2 | 99.3 | 0.8% higher in Evanston |
| Healthcare index | 100.4 | 99.5 | 0.8% higher in Evanston |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Evanston, you'd need $80,875 in Rockford to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Rockford, IL is about 19.1% cheaper overall than Evanston, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 62% higher in Evanston than in Rockford. If you earn $80,000 in Evanston, you'd need about $64,700 in Rockford to keep the same standard of living.