Baltimore, MD vs Providence, RI
Moving from Baltimore to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($405,877 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Baltimore 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 Baltimore, MD, you'd need about $98,379 in Providence, RI (−$1,621).
Livability — Baltimore, MD: 57 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,341 sqft in Baltimore vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($214 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Baltimore, MD | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,028 | $25,956 | +$2,928 |
| Groceries | $5,075 | $4,922 | −$153 |
| Transportation | $3,685 | $3,875 | +$190 |
| Utilities | $2,388 | $3,060 | +$672 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $1,700 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $11,584 | $13,121 | +$1,537 |
| Total | $47,160 | $52,634 | +$5,474 |
Side by side
| Metric | Baltimore, MD | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.2 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.86% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.87 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $405,877 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.8% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $214 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,919 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.3% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 1.04% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 22.1 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 450 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 21 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |