Providence, RI vs Trenton, NJ
Moving from Providence to Trenton? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $446,377 median home) and taxes.
Providence vs Trenton 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 $100,893 in Trenton, NJ (+$893).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Trenton, NJ: 56 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 2,129 sqft in Trenton ($328 vs $235 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Trenton, NJ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $31,476 | +$5,520 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $4,888 | −$34 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $3,710 | −$165 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $2,544 | −$516 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,300 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $21,636 | +$8,515 |
| Total | $52,634 | $65,554 | +$12,920 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Trenton, NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 102.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 6.12% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 2.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $446,377 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | -0.1% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $235 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $2,623 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 13.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 6.60% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | 10.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 2.62% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 23.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 23 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 5 |