Lexington, KY vs Providence, RI
Moving from Lexington to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($327,671 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Lexington 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 Lexington, KY, you'd need about $109,740 in Providence, RI (+$9,740).
Livability — Lexington, KY: 72 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,899 sqft in Lexington vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($173 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lexington, KY | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,336 | $25,956 | +$7,620 |
| Groceries | $4,721 | $4,922 | +$201 |
| Transportation | $3,870 | $3,875 | +$5 |
| Utilities | $1,620 | $3,060 | +$1,440 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,700 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $8,073 | $13,121 | +$5,048 |
| Total | $38,820 | $52,634 | +$13,814 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lexington, KY | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.5 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.70% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.0% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.26 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $327,671 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.7% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $173 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,528 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.00% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 0.83% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.44% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,200 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $250 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.0 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $70 | $92 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $81 | $80 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $67 |
| Violent crime /100k | 260 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 26 | 21 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 48.3 | 47.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 13.4 | 36.6 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 56% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |