Des Moines, IA vs Providence, RI
Moving from Des Moines to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($296,070 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Des Moines 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 Des Moines, IA, you'd need about $109,443 in Providence, RI (+$9,443).
Livability — Des Moines, IA: 68 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,787 sqft in Des Moines vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($179 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Des Moines, IA | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,516 | $25,956 | +$10,440 |
| Groceries | $4,831 | $4,922 | +$90 |
| Transportation | $3,150 | $3,875 | +$725 |
| Utilities | $1,500 | $3,060 | +$1,560 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,700 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $10,265 | $13,121 | +$2,856 |
| Total | $36,962 | $52,634 | +$15,671 |
Side by side
| Metric | Des Moines, IA | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.8 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.14% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 14.2% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.28 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $296,070 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,293 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.80% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 1.71% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.00% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.9 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $73 | $92 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $82 | $80 |
| Home internet / mo | $93 | $67 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 12 | 21 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 35.0 | 47.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 35.0 | 36.6 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 55% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |