Chicago, IL vs Providence, RI
Moving from Chicago to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($353,998 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Chicago 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 Chicago, IL, you'd need about $99,049 in Providence, RI (−$951).
Livability — Chicago, IL: 63 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,402 sqft in Chicago vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($208 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Chicago, IL | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $27,192 | $25,956 | −$1,236 |
| Groceries | $5,215 | $4,922 | −$294 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $3,875 | +$325 |
| Utilities | $2,208 | $3,060 | +$852 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $1,700 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $14,141 | $13,121 | −$1,020 |
| Total | $54,206 | $52,634 | −$1,573 |
Side by side
| Metric | Chicago, IL | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.19% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.2% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $353,998 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.4% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $208 | $328 |
| Median rent | $2,266 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.9% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 2.11% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 31 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $82 | $92 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $57 | $80 |
| Home internet / mo | $77 | $67 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 21 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 40.9 | 47.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 38.8 | 36.6 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 54% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |