Reno, NV vs Providence, RI
Moving from Reno to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($570,546 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Reno vs Providence 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 Reno, NV, you'd need about $103,556 in Providence, RI (+$3,556).
Livability — Reno, NV: 62 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,665 sqft in Reno vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($300 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Reno, NV | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,736 | $25,956 | +$2,220 |
| Groceries | $4,841 | $4,922 | +$80 |
| Transportation | $4,740 | $3,875 | −$865 |
| Utilities | $1,548 | $3,060 | +$1,512 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,700 | +$400 |
| Taxes | $5,060 | $13,121 | +$8,062 |
| Total | $41,225 | $52,634 | +$11,409 |
Side by side
| Metric | Reno, NV | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.0 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.01% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 9.2% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 50 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.58 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $570,546 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 7.0× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.0% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $300 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,978 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.23% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 0.48% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.12% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,400 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $500 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.3 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.20 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 95 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 21 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |