Trenton, NJ vs Providence, RI
Moving from Trenton to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($446,377 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Trenton 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 Trenton, NJ, you'd need about $99,114 in Providence, RI (−$886).
Livability — Trenton, NJ: 56 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,129 sqft in Trenton vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($235 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Trenton, NJ | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $31,476 | $25,956 | −$5,520 |
| Groceries | $4,888 | $4,922 | +$34 |
| Transportation | $3,710 | $3,875 | +$165 |
| Utilities | $2,544 | $3,060 | +$516 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,700 | +$400 |
| Taxes | $21,636 | $13,121 | −$8,515 |
| Total | $65,554 | $52,634 | −$12,920 |
Side by side
| Metric | Trenton, NJ | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.4 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.12% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.8% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $446,377 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.1% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $328 |
| Median rent | $2,623 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 13.2% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.60% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.75% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 2.62% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 28 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 23.5 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $86 | $92 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $171 | $80 |
| Home internet / mo | $65 | $67 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 23 | 21 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 44.1 | 47.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 23.1 | 36.6 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 56% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 4 |