Cost of living comparison
compared to
Rhode Island vs. North Carolina Cost of Living Summary
Rhode Island is 13.9% more expensive than North Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 20.7% more in Rhode Island
- Groceries
-
pay 11.9% more in Rhode Island
- Transportation
-
pay 17.2% more in Rhode Island
- Housing
-
pay 28.9% more in Rhode Island
- Childcare
-
pay 14.6% more in Rhode Island
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 23.7% more in Rhode Island
- Clothing
-
pay 19.8% less in Rhode Island
The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, transportation, childcare, and groceries in Rhode Island are more expensive than in North Carolina.
Rhode Island vs. North Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Rhode Island instead of North Carolina, you would:
pay 20.7% more for restaurants
|
North Carolina
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.06
|
$20.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.47
|
$13.33
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.28
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$2.19
|
|
North Carolina vs. Rhode Island - Cost of restaurants
pay 11.9% more for groceries
|
North Carolina
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.79
|
$3.99
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.80
|
$6.34
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.73
|
$4.86
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.98
|
$4.99
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.20
|
$5.50
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$2.68
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
|
$1.16
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.23
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.51
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$1.69
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.80
|
$1.70
|
|
North Carolina vs. Rhode Island - Cost of groceries
pay 17.2% more for transportation
|
North Carolina
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$3.21
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.67
|
$70.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,588.64
|
$36,181.63
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.99
|
$27.61
|
|
North Carolina vs. Rhode Island - Cost of transportation
pay 28.9% more for housing
|
North Carolina
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.77
|
$65.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,488.15
|
$2,195.21
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,261.77
|
$1,880.56
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.31
|
$171.52
|
|
North Carolina vs. Rhode Island - Cost of housing
pay 14.6% more for childcare
|
North Carolina
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,261.89
|
$1,353.94
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,633.15
|
$30,000.00
|
|
North Carolina vs. Rhode Island - Cost of childcare
pay 23.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
North Carolina
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.12
|
$6.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.82
|
$4.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.77
|
$12.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.40
|
$62.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.98
|
$14.42
|
|
North Carolina vs. Rhode Island - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 19.8% less for clothing
|
North Carolina
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.30
|
$43.10
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.76
|
$29.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.37
|
$73.83
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.01
|
$78.89
|
|
North Carolina 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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