Providence, RI vs Charlotte, NC
Moving from Providence to Charlotte? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $390,321 median home) and taxes.
Providence vs Charlotte 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 $95,874 in Charlotte, NC (−$4,126).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Charlotte, NC: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 2,561 sqft in Charlotte ($328 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Charlotte, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $20,880 | −$5,076 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $4,834 | −$88 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $3,130 | −$745 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $1,752 | −$1,308 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $2,000 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $8,740 | −$4,381 |
| Total | $52,634 | $41,336 | −$11,298 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Charlotte, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 97.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 4.71% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 10.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $5.54 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $390,321 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 5.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | -0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $195 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $1,740 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 0.72% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |