Overall
- Fayetteville
- 92.0
- Rockford
- 92.2
Diff +0.2 RPP
Fayetteville vs Rockford
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Rockford is 0.2% more expensive than Fayetteville.
0.2% more expensive
Rockford, IL is 0.2% more expensive than Fayetteville, NC on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.2 vs 92.0). A $100,000 salary in Fayetteville buys about the same as $100,191 in Rockford; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 92.0 (Fayetteville) vs 92.2 (Rockford)
- $100k in Fayetteville ≈ $100,191 purchasing power in Rockford
- Rents drives the gap (-3.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NC:IL 92.0→92.2
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE NC × IL
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
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.
Fayetteville
92.0
Cost Index
Rockford
92.2
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Fayetteville, NC and Rockford, IL are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Rockford is 3.0 points lower. But rents and goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
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.
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 Fayetteville corresponds to $100,191 in Rockford.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Fayetteville
- 96.6
- Rockford
- 93.6
Diff -3.0 RPP
Services
- Fayetteville
- 87.8
- Rockford
- 89.4
Diff +1.6 RPP
Rents
- Fayetteville
- 73.1
- Rockford
- 70.1
Diff -3.0 RPP
| Category | Fayetteville | Rockford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.0 | 92.2 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 96.6 | 93.6 | -3.0 |
| Services | 87.8 | 89.4 | +1.6 |
| Rents | 73.1 | 70.1 | -3.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Fayetteville 92.0
Rockford 92.2
Goods
Fayetteville 96.6
Rockford 93.6
Services
Fayetteville 87.8
Rockford 89.4
Rents
Fayetteville 73.1
Rockford 70.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Fayetteville would need to be in Rockford for the same purchasing power:
| In Fayetteville | In Rockford | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,096 | +$96 |
| $75,000 | $75,144 | +$144 |
| $100,000 | $100,191 | +$191 |
| $150,000 | $150,287 | +$287 |
$ in Fayetteville = in Rockford
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.0 → 92.2), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rockford more expensive than Fayetteville?
Rockford is 0.2% more expensive than Fayetteville. The overall cost index is 92.2 vs 92.0 (national average = 100).
What salary in Rockford equals $100K in Fayetteville?
A $100,000 salary in Fayetteville has the same purchasing power as $100,191 in Rockford. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Fayetteville and Rockford?
Rents in Fayetteville are indexed at 73.1 while Rockford is at 70.1 (national average = 100). Fayetteville 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.