Decatur vs Rockford leftover
Moving to Rockford costs you $397 a month
$2,383/mo leftover in Rockford vs $2,780 in Decatur after tax and rent ($397 less). −$4,764 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Decatur leftover
$2,780
a month after tax and rent
Rockford leftover
$2,383
−$397 vs Decatur
Compare Decatur to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Decatur.
Monthly gap
Decatur → Rockford
$397
less / month in Decatur
$2,383 in Rockford · $2,780 in Decatur · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
−$397 / mo
| Per month | Decatur | Rockford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,208 | $6,966 | −$242 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,784 | $1,700 | −$84 |
| Take-home pay | $5,425 | $5,266 | −$158 |
| Rent | $699 | $940 | +$241 |
| Getting around | $577 | $575 | −$2 |
| Groceries | $378 | $378 | $0 |
| Healthcare | $425 | $425 | $0 |
| Utilities | $236 | $236 | $0 |
| Everything else | $330 | $330 | $0 |
| Left over | $2,780 | $2,383 | −$397 |
To break even in Rockford, you'd need to earn
$91,000
Household gross, versus $86,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Decatur does now.
The tax difference alone
+$144
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.7% in Decatur, 24.4% in Rockford.
More about Rockford
Decatur, IL in full
A flat 4.95% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $832 and 203 sunny days; commutes average 19 minutes.
Rockford, IL in full
A flat 4.95% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,119 and 195 sunny days; commutes average 24 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Rockford on Rockford wages.
Rockford → Decatur →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Rockford than Decatur?
A one-bedroom is about $699 in Decatur versus $940 in Rockford. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $397 a month lower in Rockford. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Rockford have state income tax?
Rockford is in Illinois, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Decatur to Rockford?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Illinois tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Decatur and Rockford moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.