Rockford vs Kankakee leftover
Moving to Kankakee costs you $34 a month
$2,344/mo leftover in Kankakee vs $2,378 in Rockford after tax and rent ($34 less). −$408 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Rockford leftover
$2,378
a month after tax and rent
Kankakee leftover
$2,344
−$34 vs Rockford
Compare Rockford to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Rockford.
Monthly gap
Rockford → Kankakee
$34
less / month in Rockford
$2,344 in Kankakee · $2,378 in Rockford · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
−$34 / mo
| Per month | Rockford | Kankakee | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,958 | $7,068 | +$109 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,697 | $1,735 | +$38 |
| Take-home pay | $5,261 | $5,333 | +$72 |
| Rent | $940 | $1,060 | +$120 |
| Getting around | $575 | $560 | −$15 |
| Groceries | $378 | $378 | $0 |
| Healthcare | $425 | $425 | $0 |
| Utilities | $236 | $236 | $0 |
| Everything else | $330 | $330 | $0 |
| Left over | $2,378 | $2,344 | −$34 |
To break even in Kankakee, you'd need to earn
$85,500
Household gross, versus $83,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Rockford does now.
The tax difference alone
−$65
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.4% in Rockford, 24.6% in Kankakee.
More about Kankakee
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.
Kankakee, IL in full
A flat 4.95% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,262 and 200 sunny days; commutes average 25 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Kankakee on Kankakee wages.
Kankakee → Rockford →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Kankakee than Rockford?
A one-bedroom is about $940 in Rockford versus $1,060 in Kankakee. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $34 a month lower in Kankakee. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Kankakee have state income tax?
Kankakee is in Illinois, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Rockford to Kankakee?
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 Rockford and Kankakee 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.