Providence, RI vs Boston, MA
Moving from Providence to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Providence vs Boston 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 $108,750 in Boston, MA (+$8,750).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($328 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $38,532 | +$12,576 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $5,040 | +$118 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $3,210 | −$665 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $3,180 | +$120 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,800 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $17,694 | +$4,573 |
| Total | $52,634 | $69,455 | +$16,822 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $436 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |