Providence, RI vs Rochester, NY
Moving from Providence to Rochester? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $285,034 median home) and taxes.
Providence vs Rochester 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 $96,924 in Rochester, NY (−$3,076).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Rochester, NY: 59 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 2,807 sqft in Rochester ($328 vs $178 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Rochester, NY | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $19,164 | −$6,792 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $4,868 | −$54 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $3,895 | +$20 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $3,180 | +$120 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,600 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $18,722 | +$5,601 |
| Total | $52,634 | $51,429 | −$1,205 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Rochester, NY |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 98.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 5.01% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 0.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 39 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $5.60 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $285,034 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | 4.7% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $178 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $1,597 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 15.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 8.52% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | 10.90% |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 2.76% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $17,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.45 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 5 |