Overall
Diff +0.4 RPP
Rockford vs Waco
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Waco is 0.4% more expensive than Rockford.
0.4% more expensive
Waco, TX is 0.4% more expensive than Rockford, IL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.5 vs 92.2). A $100,000 salary in Rockford buys about the same as $100,430 in Waco; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 92.2 (Rockford) vs 92.5 (Waco)
- $100k in Rockford ≈ $100,430 purchasing power in Waco
- Rents drives the gap (+13.5 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IL:TX 92.2→92.5
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE IL × TX
- 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.
Rockford
92.2
Cost Index
Waco
92.5
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rockford, IL and Waco, TX are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.4 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Waco is 13.5 points higher. But services 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 Rockford corresponds to $100,430 in Waco.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff +0.1 RPP
Services
Diff -8.4 RPP
Rents
Diff +13.5 RPP
| Category | Rockford | Waco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.2 | 92.5 | +0.4 |
| Goods | 93.6 | 93.8 | +0.1 |
| Services | 89.4 | 81.0 | -8.4 |
| Rents | 70.1 | 83.5 | +13.5 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Rockford 92.2
Waco 92.5
Goods
Rockford 93.6
Waco 93.8
Services
Rockford 89.4
Waco 81.0
Rents
Rockford 70.1
Waco 83.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Rockford would need to be in Waco for the same purchasing power:
| In Rockford | In Waco | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,215 | +$215 |
| $75,000 | $75,322 | +$322 |
| $100,000 | $100,430 | +$430 |
| $150,000 | $150,645 | +$645 |
$ in Rockford = in Waco
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.2 → 92.5), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Waco more expensive than Rockford?
Waco is 0.4% more expensive than Rockford. The overall cost index is 92.5 vs 92.2 (national average = 100).
What salary in Waco equals $100K in Rockford?
A $100,000 salary in Rockford has the same purchasing power as $100,430 in Waco. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Rockford and Waco?
Rents in Rockford are indexed at 70.1 while Waco is at 83.5 (national average = 100). Waco 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.