Sioux Falls, SD vs Providence, RI
Moving from Sioux Falls to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($342,936 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Sioux Falls 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 Sioux Falls, SD, you'd need about $112,676 in Providence, RI (+$12,676).
Livability — Sioux Falls, SD: 69 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,479 sqft in Sioux Falls vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($202 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Sioux Falls, SD | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,708 | $25,956 | +$10,248 |
| Groceries | $4,870 | $4,922 | +$52 |
| Transportation | $3,200 | $3,875 | +$675 |
| Utilities | $1,572 | $3,060 | +$1,488 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,700 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $5,263 | $13,121 | +$7,858 |
| Total | $33,013 | $52,634 | +$19,621 |
Side by side
| Metric | Sioux Falls, SD | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.1 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.15% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 10.9% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 34 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.13 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $342,936 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.5% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,309 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.4% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.40% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 1.18% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.5 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 21 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |