Lafayette, LA vs Providence, RI
Moving from Lafayette to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($202,312 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Lafayette 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 Lafayette, LA, you'd need about $115,942 in Providence, RI (+$15,942).
Livability — Lafayette, LA: 72 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,941 sqft in Lafayette vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($101 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lafayette, LA | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,452 | $25,956 | +$9,504 |
| Groceries | $4,650 | $4,922 | +$272 |
| Transportation | $4,475 | $3,875 | −$600 |
| Utilities | $1,560 | $3,060 | +$1,500 |
| Insurance | $3,500 | $1,700 | −$1,800 |
| Taxes | $8,509 | $13,121 | +$4,612 |
| Total | $39,146 | $52,634 | +$13,488 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lafayette, LA | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 87.6 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.97% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -1.6% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.98 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $202,312 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.5× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.1% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $101 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,371 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.1% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.56% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 0.49% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.10% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,500 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,900 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $1,000 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.4 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $52 | $92 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $108 | $80 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $67 |
| Violent crime /100k | 630 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 43 | 21 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 63.4 | 47.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 36.6 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |