Providence, RI vs Roanoke, VA
Moving from Providence to Roanoke? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $301,139 median home) and taxes.
Providence vs Roanoke 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 $89,847 in Roanoke, VA (−$10,153).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Roanoke, VA: 73 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 3,320 sqft in Roanoke ($328 vs $151 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Roanoke, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $16,836 | −$9,120 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $4,853 | −$68 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $3,080 | −$795 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $1,872 | −$1,188 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,500 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $9,549 | −$3,572 |
| Total | $52,634 | $37,690 | −$14,944 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Roanoke, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 91.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 4.05% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 0.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 40 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $5.19 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $301,139 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | 3.8% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $151 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $1,403 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 0.81% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |