Providence, RI vs Tampa, FL
Moving from Providence to Tampa? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $360,738 median home) and taxes.
Providence vs Tampa 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 $100,948 in Tampa, FL (+$948).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Tampa, FL: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 2,564 sqft in Tampa ($328 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Tampa, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $24,216 | −$1,740 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $4,949 | +$27 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $4,800 | +$925 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $1,656 | −$1,404 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $4,200 | +$2,500 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $4,642 | −$8,479 |
| Total | $52,634 | $44,463 | −$8,171 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Tampa, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 4.92% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $360,738 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 5.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | -3.4% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $195 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $2,018 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 0.80% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 52 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |