Portland, OR vs Providence, RI
Moving from Portland to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $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, OR, you'd need about $95,124 in Providence, RI (−$4,876).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($325 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $25,956 | +$4,392 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $4,922 | −$318 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,875 | +$195 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $3,060 | +$1,356 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,700 | +$800 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $13,121 | −$1,261 |
| Total | $47,470 | $52,634 | +$5,164 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $58 | $92 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $224 | $80 |
| Home internet / mo | $82 | $67 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 21 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 43.7 | 47.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 3.4 | 36.6 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 48% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |