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CityLedger

Columbus vs Rockford

Metro-area medians — Columbus, GA-AL Metro Area vs Rockford, IL Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Rockford comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Columbus is about 3% cheaper to live in, while Rockford households earn about 17% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Rockford.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Columbus, GA
$58,044
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$65,002
real value after local prices
Rockford, IL
$57,601
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$62,505
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Columbus leaves you about $2,496/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Columbus
Rockford
Livability (CityLedger)
31/100
37/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
89.3
92.2
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$67,304
$76,080
Median household income
$60,100
$70,111
Median rent
$1,143/mo
$1,014/mo
Median home value
$224,600
$188,400
Unemployment
5.2%
6%
Bachelor's degree or higher
27.6%
26.7%
Average commute
24 min
24.2 min
Air quality (median AQI)
49
43
Avg temperature
67°F
49°F

Choose Columbus for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
Full Columbus profile →

Choose Rockford for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Rockford profile →

Columbus vs Rockford — frequently asked

Is Columbus cheaper than Rockford?
Columbus is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 3% below Rockford's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Columbus or Rockford?
Rockford has the higher median household income — $70,111 versus $60,100 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 17% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Columbus or Rockford?
A paycheck stretches further in Rockford. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $76,080 there versus $67,304 in Columbus.
Which has cheaper rent, Columbus or Rockford?
Rockford has cheaper rent — a median of $1,014/mo versus $1,143/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).