Cost of living comparison
Rhode Island vs. Puerto Rico Cost of Living Summary
Rhode Island is 41.3% more expensive than Puerto Rico overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 44.3% more in Rhode Island
- Groceries
-
pay 3.2% less in Rhode Island
- Transportation
-
pay 15.6% more in Rhode Island
- Housing
-
pay 83.5% more in Rhode Island
- Childcare
-
pay 2.5 times more in Rhode Island
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 77.1% more in Rhode Island
- Clothing
-
pay 13.5% less in Rhode Island
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and transportation in Rhode Island are more expensive than in Puerto Rico. Expenses including clothing and groceries are lower in Rhode Island. Notably, childcare, housing, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island vs. Puerto Rico Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Rhode Island instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
pay 44.3% more for restaurants
|
Puerto Rico
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.34
|
$22.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.24
|
$13.38
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.74
|
$2.87
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.35
|
$2.32
|
|
pay 3.2% less for groceries
|
Puerto Rico
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.37
|
$3.98
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.35
|
$5.94
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.71
|
$3.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.03
|
$5.17
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.95
|
$6.08
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.15
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.17
|
$1.06
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.88
|
$2.38
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.09
|
$1.99
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.43
|
$1.04
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.54
|
$1.29
|
|
pay 15.6% more for transportation
|
Puerto Rico
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.08
|
$4.02
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$37.75
|
$70.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$38,571.43
|
$36,541.58
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.50
|
$16.37
|
|
pay 83.5% more for housing
|
Puerto Rico
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.43
|
$76.56
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,098.02
|
$2,081.88
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$722.33
|
$1,759.17
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$228.66
|
$211.01
|
|
pay 2.5 times more for childcare
|
Puerto Rico
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$700.71
|
$1,824.60
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,819.51
|
$25,666.67
|
|
pay 77.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Puerto Rico
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.61
|
$6.25
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.78
|
$5.40
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.22
|
$13.11
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$29.37
|
$52.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.50
|
$14.28
|
|
pay 13.5% less for clothing
|
Puerto Rico
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.28
|
$47.12
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$47.82
|
$27.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$96.61
|
$92.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$101.25
|
$113.33
|
|
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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