Portland, ME vs Providence, RI
Moving from Portland to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($542,063 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Portland 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 Portland, ME, you'd need about $97,276 in Providence, RI (−$2,724).
Livability — Portland, ME: 58 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,568 sqft in Portland vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($319 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, ME | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $27,840 | $25,956 | −$1,884 |
| Groceries | $4,917 | $4,922 | +$5 |
| Transportation | $2,775 | $3,875 | +$1,100 |
| Utilities | $3,072 | $3,060 | −$12 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $1,700 | +$700 |
| Taxes | $12,997 | $13,121 | +$124 |
| Total | $52,601 | $52,634 | +$33 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, ME | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.4 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.37% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 39 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.94 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $542,063 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.4× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.0% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $319 | $328 |
| Median rent | $2,320 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.4% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.50% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.15% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 1.14% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,000 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.40% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,000 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.4 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 110 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 80 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 21 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |