Overall
- Rockford
- 92.2
Diff -6.7 RPP
Atlantic City-Hammonton vs Rockford
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Rockford is 6.8% less expensive than Atlantic City-Hammonton.
6.8% less expensive
Rockford, IL is 6.8% less expensive than Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.2 vs 98.9). A $100,000 salary in Atlantic City-Hammonton buys about the same as $93,219 in Rockford; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.9 (Atlantic City-Hammonton) vs 92.2 (Rockford)
- $100k in Atlantic City-Hammonton ≈ $93,219 purchasing power in Rockford
- Rents drives the gap (-28.6 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NJ:IL 98.9→92.2
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE NJ × IL
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-SHIFT PP shift
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Atlantic City-Hammonton would need to be in Rockford for the same purchasing power:
| In Atlantic City-Hammonton | In Rockford | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $46,610 | $-3,390 |
| $75,000 | $69,915 | $-5,085 |
| $100,000 | $93,219 | $-6,781 |
| $150,000 | $139,829 | $-10,171 |
$ in Atlantic City-Hammonton = in Rockford
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.9 → 92.2), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
Rockford, IL is 6.8% less expensive than Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 6.7-point overall gap.
Rents leads the difference, with Rockford 28.6 points lower than Atlantic City-Hammonton. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Atlantic City-Hammonton corresponds to $93,219 in Rockford.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Rockford
- 93.6
Diff -6.1 RPP
Services
- Atlantic City-Hammonton
- 109.2
- Rockford
- 89.4
Diff -19.8 RPP
Rents
- Rockford
- 70.1
Diff -28.6 RPP
| Category | Atlantic City-Hammonton | Rockford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.9 | 92.2 | -6.7 |
| Goods | 99.8 | 93.6 | -6.1 |
| Services | 109.2 | 89.4 | -19.8 |
| Rents | 98.7 | 70.1 | -28.6 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Atlantic City-Hammonton 98.9
Rockford 92.2
Goods
Atlantic City-Hammonton 99.8
Rockford 93.6
Services
Atlantic City-Hammonton 109.2
Rockford 89.4
Rents
Atlantic City-Hammonton 98.7
Rockford 70.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Atlantic City-Hammonton
98.9
Cost Index
Rockford
92.2
Cost Index
How the Price Gap Changed
Atlantic City-Hammonton and Rockford share 17 published annual releases from 2008 through 2024. Their overall gap narrowed, moving from 14.0 to 6.7 RPP points. Atlantic City-Hammonton remained the higher-index metro in the latest release.
Rents changed the most within this pair: its gap moved 20.5 points between the first and latest shared releases (49.1 to 28.6 points). This describes a relative price-index history, not a forecast or a household budget.
| Release Year | Atlantic City-Hammonton RPP | Rockford RPP | Relative Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 110.7 | 96.7 | 14.0 points Atlantic City-Hammonton higher |
| 2012 | 104.6 | 93.9 | 10.7 points Atlantic City-Hammonton higher |
| 2016 | 102.6 | 93.3 | 9.4 points Atlantic City-Hammonton higher |
| 2020 | 101.2 | 91.8 | 9.4 points Atlantic City-Hammonton higher |
| 2024 | 98.9 | 92.2 | 6.7 points Atlantic City-Hammonton higher |
Annual BEA Regional Price Parity releases; a higher index means a higher price level relative to the national average of 100. Selected years shown from the full shared series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rockford more expensive than Atlantic City-Hammonton?
Rockford is 6.8% less expensive than Atlantic City-Hammonton. The overall cost index is 92.2 vs 98.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Rockford equals $100K in Atlantic City-Hammonton?
A $100,000 salary in Atlantic City-Hammonton has the same purchasing power as $93,219 in Rockford. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Atlantic City-Hammonton and Rockford?
Rents in Atlantic City-Hammonton are indexed at 98.7 while Rockford is at 70.1 (national average = 100). Atlantic City-Hammonton has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.