Providence, RI vs Colorado Springs, CO
Moving from Providence to Colorado Springs? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $457,300 median home) and taxes.
Providence vs Colorado Springs 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 $96,653 in Colorado Springs, CO (−$3,347).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Colorado Springs, CO: 60 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 2,077 sqft in Colorado Springs ($328 vs $241 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Colorado Springs, CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $21,204 | −$4,752 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $4,814 | −$108 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $4,050 | +$175 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $1,788 | −$1,272 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $2,800 | +$1,100 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $8,740 | −$4,381 |
| Total | $52,634 | $43,395 | −$9,238 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Colorado Springs, CO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 98.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 5.60% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 8.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $5.58 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $457,300 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $241 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $1,767 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 9.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 7.77% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 0.41% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.79% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 16.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 18 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |