Columbia, SC vs Providence, RI
Moving from Columbia to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($256,154 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Columbia 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 Columbia, SC, you'd need about $108,891 in Providence, RI (+$8,891).
Livability — Columbia, SC: 69 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,903 sqft in Columbia vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($128 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbia, SC | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,444 | $25,956 | +$7,512 |
| Groceries | $4,797 | $4,922 | +$124 |
| Transportation | $3,465 | $3,875 | +$410 |
| Utilities | $1,848 | $3,060 | +$1,212 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $1,700 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $10,215 | $13,121 | +$2,906 |
| Total | $40,769 | $52,634 | +$11,864 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbia, SC | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.2 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.71% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.9% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.30 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $256,154 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $128 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,537 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.44% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 6.40% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 0.63% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,500 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.33% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.1 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.05 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 530 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 36 | 21 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |