Wichita, KS vs Providence, RI
Moving from Wichita to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($225,557 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Wichita 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 Wichita, KS, you'd need about $113,520 in Providence, RI (+$13,520).
Livability — Wichita, KS: 72 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,212 sqft in Wichita vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($119 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Wichita, KS | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,412 | $25,956 | +$11,544 |
| Groceries | $4,824 | $4,922 | +$97 |
| Transportation | $3,275 | $3,875 | +$600 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $3,060 | +$1,356 |
| Insurance | $3,300 | $1,700 | −$1,600 |
| Taxes | $11,043 | $13,121 | +$2,078 |
| Total | $38,558 | $52,634 | +$14,075 |
Side by side
| Metric | Wichita, KS | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.4 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.05% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.7% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.09 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $225,557 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.4× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.7% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $119 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,201 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.70% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.70% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 1.33% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.93% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,300 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 410 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 21 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |