Hickory, NC vs Providence, RI
Moving from Hickory to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($271,739 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Hickory 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 Hickory, NC, you'd need about $113,580 in Providence, RI (+$13,580).
Livability — Hickory, NC: 73 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,679 sqft in Hickory vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($136 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Hickory, NC | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,952 | $25,956 | +$8,004 |
| 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 | $7,879 | $13,121 | +$5,242 |
| Total | $37,553 | $52,634 | +$15,081 |
Side by side
| Metric | Hickory, NC | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.4 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.52% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.5% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 46 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.09 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $271,739 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.7× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.3% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $136 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,496 | $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 | 0.69% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.10% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 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 |