Knoxville, TN vs Providence, RI
Moving from Knoxville to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($367,158 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Knoxville 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 Knoxville, TN, you'd need about $110,058 in Providence, RI (+$10,058).
Livability — Knoxville, TN: 68 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,723 sqft in Knoxville vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($184 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Knoxville, TN | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,144 | $25,956 | +$4,812 |
| Groceries | $4,715 | $4,922 | +$207 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,875 | +$745 |
| Utilities | $1,608 | $3,060 | +$1,452 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,700 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $4,576 | $13,121 | +$8,546 |
| Total | $37,372 | $52,634 | +$15,262 |
Side by side
| Metric | Knoxville, TN | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.2 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.24% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.5% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 52 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.25 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $367,158 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.5× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.8% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $184 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,762 | $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 | 0.53% | 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 |