Worcester, MA vs Providence, RI
Moving from Worcester to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($482,611 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Worcester 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 Worcester, MA, you'd need about $98,572 in Providence, RI (−$1,428).
Livability — Worcester, MA: 56 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,761 sqft in Worcester vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($284 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Worcester, MA | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $26,184 | $25,956 | −$228 |
| Groceries | $4,938 | $4,922 | −$16 |
| Transportation | $3,210 | $3,875 | +$665 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $3,060 | −$120 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,700 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $16,011 | $13,121 | −$2,889 |
| Total | $55,322 | $52,634 | −$2,689 |
Side by side
| Metric | Worcester, MA | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.0 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.78% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.86 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $482,611 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.8% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $284 | $328 |
| Median rent | $2,182 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.00% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 1.39% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $21,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.25% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 29 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $108 | $92 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $71 | $80 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $67 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 21 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 43.6 | 47.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 49.2 | 36.6 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 58% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |