Allentown, PA vs Providence, RI
Moving from Allentown to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($363,989 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Allentown 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 Allentown, PA, you'd need about $102,661 in Providence, RI (+$2,661).
Livability — Allentown, PA: 63 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,404 sqft in Allentown vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($208 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Allentown, PA | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,284 | $25,956 | +$3,672 |
| Groceries | $4,911 | $4,922 | +$10 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $3,875 | +$435 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $3,060 | +$744 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $1,700 | +$500 |
| Taxes | $10,058 | $13,121 | +$3,063 |
| Total | $44,209 | $52,634 | +$8,424 |
Side by side
| Metric | Allentown, PA | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.9 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.48% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.63 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $363,989 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.0% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $208 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,857 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 1.85% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 21 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |