Providence, RI vs Peoria, IL
Moving from Providence to Peoria? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $172,742 median home) and taxes.
Providence vs Peoria 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 $87,512 in Peoria, IL (−$12,488).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Peoria, IL: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 4,921 sqft in Peoria ($328 vs $102 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Peoria, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $14,148 | −$11,808 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $4,655 | −$267 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $3,550 | −$325 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $2,208 | −$852 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,900 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $11,370 | −$1,751 |
| Total | $52,634 | $37,831 | −$14,803 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Peoria, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 88.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 5.30% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 6.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 44 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $5.05 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $172,742 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 2.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | 7.7% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $102 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $1,179 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 2.19% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 15 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |