Kansas City, MO vs Providence, RI
Moving from Kansas City to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($329,641 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Kansas City 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 Kansas City, MO, you'd need about $108,914 in Providence, RI (+$8,914).
Livability — Kansas City, MO: 67 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,654 sqft in Kansas City vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($188 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Kansas City, MO | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,576 | $25,956 | +$7,380 |
| Groceries | $4,828 | $4,922 | +$94 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $3,875 | +$485 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $3,060 | +$1,548 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,700 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $10,526 | $13,121 | +$2,595 |
| Total | $41,232 | $52,634 | +$11,402 |
Side by side
| Metric | Kansas City, MO | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.2 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.18% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.9% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.30 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $329,641 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.5% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $188 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,548 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 1.14% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $92 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $184 | $80 |
| Home internet / mo | $86 | $67 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 21 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 39.3 | 47.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 18.2 | 36.6 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 60% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |