Providence, RI vs Austin, TX
Moving from Providence to Austin? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $428,524 median home) and taxes.
Providence vs Austin 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 Providence, RI, you'd need about $96,813 in Austin, TX (−$3,187).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Austin, TX: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 2,450 sqft in Austin ($328 vs $204 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Austin, TX | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $19,620 | −$6,336 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $4,647 | −$275 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $3,675 | −$200 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $1,836 | −$1,224 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $3,600 | +$1,900 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $9,558 | −$3,563 |
| Total | $52,634 | $42,936 | −$9,698 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Austin, TX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 4.30% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 14.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 52 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $428,524 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | -6.0% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $204 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $1,635 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 8.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 8.20% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 17.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 96 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 38 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |