Durham, NC vs Providence, RI
Moving from Durham to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($414,340 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Durham 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 Durham, NC, you'd need about $104,277 in Providence, RI (+$4,277).
Livability — Durham, NC: 65 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,413 sqft in Durham vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($207 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Durham, NC | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,436 | $25,956 | +$5,520 |
| Groceries | $4,840 | $4,922 | +$82 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,875 | +$745 |
| Utilities | $1,752 | $3,060 | +$1,308 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $1,700 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $9,397 | $13,121 | +$3,724 |
| Total | $41,555 | $52,634 | +$11,079 |
Side by side
| Metric | Durham, NC | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.3 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.03% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 17.8% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 51 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.54 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $414,340 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.4× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.9% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $207 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,703 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.9% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 0.87% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.10% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.3 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 21 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |