St. Louis, MO vs Providence, RI
Moving from St. Louis to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($276,878 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
St. Louis 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 St. Louis, MO, you'd need about $106,884 in Providence, RI (+$6,884).
Livability — St. Louis, MO: 65 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,161 sqft in St. Louis vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($158 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | St. Louis, MO | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,412 | $25,956 | +$8,544 |
| Groceries | $4,934 | $4,922 | −$13 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $3,875 | +$485 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $3,060 | +$1,548 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,700 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $10,488 | $13,121 | +$2,633 |
| Total | $40,136 | $52,634 | +$12,497 |
Side by side
| Metric | St. Louis, MO | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.0 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.35% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.3% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $276,878 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.9% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $158 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,451 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 21 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |