Providence, RI vs Reno, NV
Moving from Providence to Reno? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $570,546 median home) and taxes.
Providence vs Reno 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 $96,566 in Reno, NV (−$3,434).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Reno, NV: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 1,665 sqft in Reno ($328 vs $300 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Reno, NV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $23,736 | −$2,220 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $4,841 | −$80 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $4,740 | +$865 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $1,548 | −$1,512 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,300 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $5,060 | −$8,061 |
| Total | $52,634 | $41,225 | −$11,409 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Reno, NV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 98.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 5.01% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 9.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 50 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $5.58 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $570,546 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | 0.0% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $300 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $1,978 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 8.23% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 0.48% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.12% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 14.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 4.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 95 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |
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