Providence, RI vs Columbia, SC
Moving from Providence to Columbia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $256,154 median home) and taxes.
Providence vs Columbia 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 $91,835 in Columbia, SC (−$8,165).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Columbia, SC: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 3,903 sqft in Columbia ($328 vs $128 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Columbia, SC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $18,444 | −$7,512 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $4,797 | −$124 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $3,465 | −$410 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $1,848 | −$1,212 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $2,000 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $10,215 | −$2,906 |
| Total | $52,634 | $40,769 | −$11,864 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Columbia, SC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 93.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 5.71% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $5.30 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $256,154 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $128 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $1,537 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 7.44% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | 6.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 0.63% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $8,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.33% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 17.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.05 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 530 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 36 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |