Richmond, VA vs Providence, RI
Moving from Richmond to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($397,705 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Richmond 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 Richmond, VA, you'd need about $103,228 in Providence, RI (+$3,228).
Livability — Richmond, VA: 66 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,514 sqft in Richmond vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($199 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Richmond, VA | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,156 | $25,956 | +$4,800 |
| Groceries | $4,853 | $4,922 | +$68 |
| Transportation | $3,080 | $3,875 | +$795 |
| Utilities | $1,872 | $3,060 | +$1,188 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $1,700 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $10,041 | $13,121 | +$3,081 |
| Total | $42,502 | $52,634 | +$10,132 |
Side by side
| Metric | Richmond, VA | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.3 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.78% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.60 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $397,705 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.9× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.3% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $199 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,763 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.5% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.73% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 0.76% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.97% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $78 | $92 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $103 | $80 |
| Home internet / mo | $77 | $67 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 87 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 28 | 21 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 45.5 | 47.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 8.8 | 36.6 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |