Kingsport, TN vs Providence, RI
Moving from Kingsport to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($246,242 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Kingsport 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 Kingsport, TN, you'd need about $119,442 in Providence, RI (+$19,442).
Livability — Kingsport, TN: 75 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,062 sqft in Kingsport vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($123 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Kingsport, TN | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,200 | $25,956 | +$9,756 |
| Groceries | $4,736 | $4,922 | +$186 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,875 | +$745 |
| Utilities | $1,608 | $3,060 | +$1,452 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,700 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $4,400 | $13,121 | +$8,722 |
| Total | $32,273 | $52,634 | +$20,360 |
Side by side
| Metric | Kingsport, TN | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 85.0 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.96% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.5% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.84 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $246,242 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $123 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,350 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 7.6% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.55% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 0.63% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.9 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 600 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 21 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |