Providence, RI vs Grand Rapids, MI
Moving from Providence to Grand Rapids? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $359,923 median home) and taxes.
Providence vs Grand Rapids 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 $93,561 in Grand Rapids, MI (−$6,439).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Grand Rapids, MI: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 2,293 sqft in Grand Rapids ($328 vs $218 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Grand Rapids, MI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $19,476 | −$6,480 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $4,703 | −$219 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $4,575 | +$700 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $2,316 | −$744 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,300 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $9,139 | −$3,982 |
| Total | $52,634 | $41,509 | −$11,125 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Grand Rapids, MI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 95.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 4.32% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 4.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $5.40 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $359,923 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 4.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | 4.8% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $218 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $1,623 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 1.16% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 0.61% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 21.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |