Cost of living comparison
compared to
Rhode Island vs. California Cost of Living Summary
Rhode Island is 4.6% cheaper than California.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.7% less in Rhode Island
- Groceries
-
pay 7.0% more in Rhode Island
- Transportation
-
pay 6.6% more in Rhode Island
- Housing
-
pay 5.0% less in Rhode Island
- Childcare
-
pay 9.1% less in Rhode Island
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 5.8% less in Rhode Island
- Clothing
-
pay 25.1% less in Rhode Island
The cost of groceries and transportation in Rhode Island are more expensive than in California. Expenses including clothing, childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, and restaurants are lower in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island vs. California Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Rhode Island instead of California, you would:
pay 0.7% less for restaurants
|
California
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.84
|
$20.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.33
|
$13.33
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$2.19
|
|
California vs. Rhode Island - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.0% more for groceries
|
California
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.20
|
$3.99
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.77
|
$6.34
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.73
|
$4.86
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.14
|
$4.99
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.05
|
$5.50
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.30
|
$2.68
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$1.16
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.23
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.51
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$1.69
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.70
|
|
California vs. Rhode Island - Cost of groceries
pay 6.6% more for transportation
|
California
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.72
|
$3.21
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$63.04
|
$70.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,529.84
|
$36,181.63
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.43
|
$27.61
|
|
California vs. Rhode Island - Cost of transportation
pay 5.0% less for housing
|
California
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.96
|
$65.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,385.40
|
$2,195.21
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,043.56
|
$1,880.56
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.94
|
$171.52
|
|
California vs. Rhode Island - Cost of housing
pay 9.1% less for childcare
|
California
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,633.13
|
$1,353.94
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,339.97
|
$30,000.00
|
|
California vs. Rhode Island - Cost of childcare
pay 5.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.31
|
$6.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.58
|
$4.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.92
|
$12.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$68.02
|
$62.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$14.42
|
|
California vs. Rhode Island - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 25.1% less for clothing
|
California
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.47
|
$43.10
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.47
|
$29.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.50
|
$73.83
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.94
|
$78.89
|
|
California vs. Rhode Island - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Rhode Island or California. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.