Cost of living comparison
compared to
Washington vs. Providence Cost of Living Summary
Washington is 25.8% more expensive than Providence.
- Restaurants
-
pay 11.9% more in Washington
- Groceries
-
pay 17.5% more in Washington
- Transportation
-
pay 16.8% more in Washington
- Housing
-
pay 0.6% less in Washington
- Childcare
-
pay 39.2% more in Washington
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 36.2% more in Washington
- Clothing
-
pay 59.3% more in Washington
The cost of clothing, childcare, entertainment and sports, groceries, transportation, and restaurants in Washington are more expensive than in Providence.
Washington vs. Providence Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Washington instead of Providence, you would:
pay 11.9% more for restaurants
|
Providence
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$15.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.75
|
$3.20
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.33
|
$2.79
|
|
Providence vs. Washington - Cost of restaurants
pay 17.5% more for groceries
|
Providence
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.36
|
$4.43
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.37
|
$8.04
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.31
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.68
|
$4.55
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.90
|
$7.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$2.95
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.97
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.66
|
$3.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.08
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.42
|
$1.64
|
|
Providence vs. Washington - Cost of groceries
pay 16.8% more for transportation
|
Providence
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.18
|
$3.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$70.00
|
$77.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,036.53
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$11.46
|
$16.73
|
|
Providence vs. Washington - Cost of transportation
pay 0.6% less for housing
|
Providence
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.50
|
$69.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,235.62
|
$2,568.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,741.67
|
$2,088.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$243.64
|
$146.54
|
|
Providence vs. Washington - Cost of housing
pay 39.2% more for childcare
|
Providence
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,833.33
|
$2,650.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,000.00
|
$40,166.67
|
|
Providence vs. Washington - Cost of childcare
pay 36.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Providence
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.58
|
$6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$56.00
|
$103.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$16.75
|
|
Providence vs. Washington - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 59.3% more for clothing
|
Providence
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$44.00
|
$76.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.50
|
$48.40
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$67.00
|
$104.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$83.33
|
$133.22
|
|
Providence vs. Washington - 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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