Albuquerque, NM vs Providence, RI
Moving from Albuquerque to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($352,894 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Albuquerque vs Providence at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Albuquerque, NM, you'd need about $108,421 in Providence, RI (+$8,421).
Livability — Albuquerque, NM: 60 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,621 sqft in Albuquerque vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($191 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Albuquerque, NM | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,024 | $25,956 | +$7,932 |
| Groceries | $4,871 | $4,922 | +$51 |
| Transportation | $3,260 | $3,875 | +$615 |
| Utilities | $1,632 | $3,060 | +$1,428 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $1,700 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $10,881 | $13,121 | +$2,240 |
| Total | $40,568 | $52,634 | +$12,066 |
Side by side
| Metric | Albuquerque, NM | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.6 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.69% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.2% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 61 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.33 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $352,894 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.5× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.0% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $191 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,502 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.2% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.78% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.90% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 0.93% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.2 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 780 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 25 | 21 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |