Salem, OR vs Providence, RI
Moving from Salem to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($454,689 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Salem 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 Salem, OR, you'd need about $99,075 in Providence, RI (−$925).
Livability — Salem, OR: 59 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,869 sqft in Salem vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($268 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Salem, OR | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,536 | $25,956 | +$6,420 |
| Groceries | $5,239 | $4,922 | −$317 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,875 | +$195 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $3,060 | +$1,356 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,700 | +$800 |
| Taxes | $13,135 | $13,121 | −$14 |
| Total | $44,194 | $52,634 | +$8,440 |
Side by side
| Metric | Salem, OR | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.41% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.7% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 35 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $454,689 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.3× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.4% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $268 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,628 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 0.90% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 21 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |