Providence, RI vs Portland, OR
Moving from Providence to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
Providence vs Portland 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 $105,126 in Portland, OR (+$5,126).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($328 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $21,564 | −$4,392 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $5,240 | +$318 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $3,680 | −$195 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $1,704 | −$1,356 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $900 | −$800 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $14,382 | +$1,261 |
| Total | $52,634 | $47,470 | −$5,164 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $325 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |