City comparison
Oak Park, IL is about 175 miles (275 km) from Springfield, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 225 miles, or about 3 h 45 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 Oak Park, IL to Springfield, IL takes about 21 min, covering roughly 175 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.
Springfield has a population of 114,214, vs 53,834 in Oak Park — about 2.1× larger by population. By land area, Springfield covers about 61 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 | Oak Park | Springfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,409/mo | $913/mo | 54.3% higher in Oak Park |
| Median home value | $440,500 | $147,700 | 198.2% higher in Oak Park |
| Median household income | $103,264 | $62,419 | 65.4% higher in Oak Park |
| Groceries index | 106.3 | 93.9 | 13.2% higher in Oak Park |
| Utilities index | 84.3 | 90.5 | 7.4% higher in Springfield |
| Transportation index | 100.2 | 99.3 | 0.8% higher in Oak Park |
| Healthcare index | 100.4 | 99.5 | 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 Oak Park, you'd need $82,045 in Springfield to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Springfield, IL is about 18% cheaper overall than Oak Park, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 56% higher in Oak Park than in Springfield. If you earn $80,000 in Oak Park, you'd need about $65,636 in Springfield to keep the same standard of living.