Columbus, GA vs Providence, RI
Moving from Columbus to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($209,527 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Columbus 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 Columbus, GA, you'd need about $114,261 in Providence, RI (+$14,261).
Livability — Columbus, GA: 76 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,892 sqft in Columbus vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($102 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, GA | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,336 | $25,956 | +$10,620 |
| Groceries | $4,816 | $4,922 | +$106 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $3,875 | +$360 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $3,060 | +$1,404 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,700 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $9,327 | $13,121 | +$3,794 |
| Total | $36,750 | $52,634 | +$15,884 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, GA | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 88.8 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.87% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.06 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $209,527 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.0% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $102 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,278 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 0.79% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $74 | $92 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $123 | $80 |
| Home internet / mo | $88 | $67 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 21 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 50.4 | 47.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 2.2 | 36.6 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 60% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |