Providence, RI vs Des Moines, IA
Moving from Providence to Des Moines? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $296,070 median home) and taxes.
Providence vs Des Moines 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 $91,371 in Des Moines, IA (−$8,629).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Des Moines, IA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 2,787 sqft in Des Moines ($328 vs $179 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Des Moines, IA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $15,516 | −$10,440 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $4,831 | −$90 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $3,150 | −$725 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $1,500 | −$1,560 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,700 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $10,265 | −$2,856 |
| Total | $52,634 | $36,962 | −$15,671 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Des Moines, IA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 92.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 4.14% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 14.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $5.28 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $296,070 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $179 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $1,293 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 11.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 6.94% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | 3.80% |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.00% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 13.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.10 |
| Natural gas / mo | $92 | $73 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $80 | $82 |
| Home internet / mo | $67 | $93 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 12 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 47.5 | 35.0 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 36.6 | 35.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 56% | 55% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |