Providence, RI vs Louisville/Jefferson County, KY
Moving from Providence to Louisville/Jefferson County? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $350,000 median home) and taxes.
Providence vs Louisville/Jefferson County 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 $91,805 in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY (−$8,195).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Louisville/Jefferson County, KY: 72 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 2,500 sqft in Louisville/Jefferson County ($328 vs $200 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $18,000 | −$7,956 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $4,716 | −$206 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $3,870 | −$5 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $1,620 | −$1,440 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $2,200 | +$500 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $7,922 | −$5,199 |
| Total | $52,634 | $38,328 | −$14,306 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 93.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 4.66% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 0.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $5.30 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $350,000 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 5.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | 3.0% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $200 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | 4.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 0.82% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.44% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $250 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 15.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 260 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 26 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |