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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Premium market, smart picks: while Rhode Island trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Providence at index 114 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Rhode Island.
#1 Ranked: Providence — cost index 114, rent $2,187/mo, income $66,772
0 of 1 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Premium market, smart picks: while Rhode Island trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Providence at index 114 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Rhode Island.
The utilities sub-index is derived from overall cost of living with regional BLS price adjustments. A score of 105 (the top-10 average here) means utilities costs are about -5% below the national median. Providence leads at 105. Note: a low utilities index doesn't guarantee a low overall cost — check the full cost breakdown table below.
Here's Providence by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 114. Rent: $2,187/month — we had to double-check this one — . Income: $66,772/year. Home price: $420,051. Population: 190,792. The strongest category is Utilities at 105; the most expensive is Housing at 136. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $3,504 more per year vs. the national median. That's an underrated factor in the decision.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
| Rank | City | Utilities Index | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Providence | 105 | 114 | $2,187 | Details |
190,792 residents · Rhode Island
Why Providence ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 114 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 2% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,187/month while the median household pulls in $66,772/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 105, though Housing (136) lags behind. Home prices average $420,051 — $47,319 below the national median.
Cities are ranked by their utilities cost sub-index within Rhode Island. Each sub-index is derived from the overall cost of living with regional adjustment factors. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Providence ranks #1 in Rhode Island for this analysis with a cost index of 114 and median income of $66,772.
Providence, RI has the lowest utilities index at 105, compared to the national average of 100.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Providence is $2,187/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $292 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Providence is $420,051, which is 6.3× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
Rhode Island has a 5.99% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.24%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.