Denver, CO vs Providence, RI
Moving from Denver to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($573,221 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Denver 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 Denver, CO, you'd need about $95,975 in Providence, RI (−$4,025).
Livability — Denver, CO: 52 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,657 sqft in Denver vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($302 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Denver, CO | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,920 | $25,956 | +$3,036 |
| Groceries | $5,079 | $4,922 | −$157 |
| Transportation | $4,050 | $3,875 | −$175 |
| Utilities | $1,788 | $3,060 | +$1,272 |
| Insurance | $2,800 | $1,700 | −$1,100 |
| Taxes | $9,828 | $13,121 | +$3,294 |
| Total | $46,464 | $52,634 | +$6,169 |
Side by side
| Metric | Denver, CO | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 105.8 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.26% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.7% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 64 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.02 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $573,221 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.9× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.9% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $302 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,910 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.7% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.77% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.40% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 0.52% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.79% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 28 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,800 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.5 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 18 | 21 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |