Providence, RI vs Washington, DC
Moving from Providence to Washington? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $583,013 median home) and taxes.
Providence vs Washington 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 $107,912 in Washington, DC (+$7,912).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Washington, DC: 39 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 1,286 sqft in Washington ($328 vs $389 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Washington, DC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $28,992 | +$3,036 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $5,318 | +$396 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $3,855 | −$20 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $2,748 | −$312 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,400 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $17,710 | +$4,589 |
| Total | $52,634 | $60,023 | +$7,389 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Washington, DC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 109.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 4.87% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 4.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $6.23 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $583,013 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | -0.5% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $389 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $2,416 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 12.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | 10.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 0.95% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $26,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 34 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 25.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 1,000 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 29 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |