Cost of living comparison
compared to
Rhode Island vs. New York Cost of Living Summary
Rhode Island is 0.9% more expensive than New York.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.8% more in Rhode Island
- Groceries
-
pay 7.5% more in Rhode Island
- Transportation
-
pay 3.9% more in Rhode Island
- Housing
-
pay 14.9% more in Rhode Island
- Childcare
-
pay 2.1% less in Rhode Island
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 5.3% less in Rhode Island
- Clothing
-
pay 22.6% less in Rhode Island
The cost of housing, restaurants, groceries, and transportation in Rhode Island are more expensive than in New York. Expenses including clothing, entertainment and sports, and childcare are lower in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island vs. New York Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Rhode Island instead of New York, you would:
pay 9.8% more for restaurants
|
New York
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.39
|
$20.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.80
|
$13.33
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.45
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.86
|
$2.19
|
|
New York vs. Rhode Island - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.5% more for groceries
|
New York
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.78
|
$3.99
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.84
|
$6.34
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.25
|
$4.86
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.76
|
$4.99
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.49
|
$5.50
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.39
|
$2.68
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.88
|
$1.16
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.16
|
$2.23
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.51
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.43
|
$1.69
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.70
|
|
New York vs. Rhode Island - Cost of groceries
pay 3.9% more for transportation
|
New York
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$3.21
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$95.86
|
$70.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,821.80
|
$36,181.63
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.88
|
$27.61
|
|
New York vs. Rhode Island - Cost of transportation
pay 14.9% more for housing
|
New York
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.63
|
$65.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,876.02
|
$2,195.21
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,567.68
|
$1,880.56
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$139.14
|
$171.52
|
|
New York vs. Rhode Island - Cost of housing
pay 2.1% less for childcare
|
New York
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,788.00
|
$1,353.94
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,966.76
|
$30,000.00
|
|
New York vs. Rhode Island - Cost of childcare
pay 5.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
New York
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.28
|
$6.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.14
|
$4.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.22
|
$12.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.27
|
$62.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$14.42
|
|
New York vs. Rhode Island - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 22.6% less for clothing
|
New York
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.49
|
$43.10
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.18
|
$29.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.00
|
$73.83
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.57
|
$78.89
|
|
New York 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
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