Montgomery, AL vs Providence, RI
Moving from Montgomery to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($214,099 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Montgomery 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 Montgomery, AL, you'd need about $112,869 in Providence, RI (+$12,869).
Livability — Montgomery, AL: 73 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,789 sqft in Montgomery vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($104 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Montgomery, AL | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,824 | $25,956 | +$9,132 |
| Groceries | $4,729 | $4,922 | +$192 |
| Transportation | $3,465 | $3,875 | +$410 |
| Utilities | $1,884 | $3,060 | +$1,176 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,700 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $8,784 | $13,121 | +$4,338 |
| Total | $38,086 | $52,634 | +$14,548 |
Side by side
| Metric | Montgomery, AL | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.9 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.56% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.0% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.12 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $214,099 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.5× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.7% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $104 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,402 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.8% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.25% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.00% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 0.32% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,200 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $7,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.70% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 450 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 33 | 21 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |