Fargo, ND vs Providence, RI
Moving from Fargo to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($327,854 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Fargo 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 Fargo, ND, you'd need about $113,885 in Providence, RI (+$13,885).
Livability — Fargo, ND: 68 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,592 sqft in Fargo vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($193 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Fargo, ND | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $13,872 | $25,956 | +$12,084 |
| Groceries | $4,850 | $4,922 | +$72 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,875 | +$745 |
| Utilities | $1,332 | $3,060 | +$1,728 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,700 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $8,083 | $13,121 | +$5,038 |
| Total | $33,367 | $52,634 | +$19,267 |
Side by side
| Metric | Fargo, ND | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.2% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $327,854 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.2% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $193 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,156 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.8% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.04% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 1.20% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 18 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 12.3 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $62 | $92 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $70 | $80 |
| Home internet / mo | $88 | $67 |
| Violent crime /100k | 290 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | -2 | 21 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 22.6 | 47.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 50.0 | 36.6 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |