Rochester, NY vs Providence, RI
Moving from Rochester to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($285,034 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Rochester 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 Rochester, NY, you'd need about $103,173 in Providence, RI (+$3,173).
Livability — Rochester, NY: 59 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,807 sqft in Rochester vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($178 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Rochester, NY | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,164 | $25,956 | +$6,792 |
| Groceries | $4,868 | $4,922 | +$54 |
| Transportation | $3,895 | $3,875 | −$20 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $3,060 | −$120 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,700 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $18,722 | $13,121 | −$5,601 |
| Total | $51,429 | $52,634 | +$1,205 |
Side by side
| Metric | Rochester, NY | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.4 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.01% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.6% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.60 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $285,034 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.7% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $178 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,597 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.9% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.52% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.90% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 2.76% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $17,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.45 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $98 | $92 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $87 | $80 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $67 |
| Violent crime /100k | 350 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 21 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 35.1 | 47.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 102.0 | 36.6 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 51% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 4 |