McAllen, TX vs Providence, RI
Moving from McAllen to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($193,978 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
McAllen 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 McAllen, TX, you'd need about $117,933 in Providence, RI (+$17,933).
Livability — McAllen, TX: 78 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 5,411 sqft in McAllen vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($92 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | McAllen, TX | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $13,536 | $25,956 | +$12,420 |
| Groceries | $4,647 | $4,922 | +$275 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $3,875 | +$200 |
| Utilities | $1,836 | $3,060 | +$1,224 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,700 | −$1,900 |
| Taxes | $4,917 | $13,121 | +$8,204 |
| Total | $32,211 | $52,634 | +$20,423 |
Side by side
| Metric | McAllen, TX | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 86.1 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.61% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.0% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.90 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $193,978 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.6% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $92 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,128 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.6% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 1.82% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 21 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |