Cost of living comparison
compared to
Alabama vs. Rhode Island Cost of Living Summary
Alabama is 19.7% cheaper than Rhode Island.
- Restaurants
-
pay 19.4% less in Alabama
- Groceries
-
pay 20.9% less in Alabama
- Transportation
-
pay 24.4% less in Alabama
- Housing
-
pay 31.6% less in Alabama
- Childcare
-
pay 32.4% less in Alabama
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 21.9% less in Alabama
- Clothing
-
pay 12.6% more in Alabama
Expenses including childcare, housing, transportation, entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants are lower in Alabama.
Alabama vs. Rhode Island Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Alabama instead of Rhode Island, you would:
pay 19.4% less for restaurants
|
Rhode Island
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.33
|
$16.75
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.33
|
$10.36
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.07
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.19
|
$1.85
|
|
Rhode Island vs. Alabama - Cost of restaurants
pay 20.9% less for groceries
|
Rhode Island
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.99
|
$3.26
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.34
|
$5.23
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.86
|
$3.69
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.99
|
$3.58
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.50
|
$4.89
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.68
|
$2.45
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$1.76
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.51
|
$1.91
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.69
|
$1.33
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.70
|
$1.33
|
|
Rhode Island vs. Alabama - Cost of groceries
pay 24.4% less for transportation
|
Rhode Island
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.21
|
$2.84
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$70.00
|
$50.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,181.63
|
$30,098.54
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$27.61
|
$16.41
|
|
Rhode Island vs. Alabama - Cost of transportation
pay 31.6% less for housing
|
Rhode Island
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.25
|
$63.63
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,195.21
|
$1,036.37
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,880.56
|
$847.06
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.52
|
$144.14
|
|
Rhode Island vs. Alabama - Cost of housing
pay 32.4% less for childcare
|
Rhode Island
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,353.94
|
$1,146.13
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,000.00
|
$15,177.33
|
|
Rhode Island vs. Alabama - Cost of childcare
pay 21.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Rhode Island
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.42
|
$4.96
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.71
|
$4.95
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.17
|
$7.76
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$62.00
|
$41.81
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.42
|
$11.07
|
|
Rhode Island vs. Alabama - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.6% more for clothing
|
Rhode Island
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$43.10
|
$39.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$29.67
|
$35.87
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$73.83
|
$79.77
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$78.89
|
$102.17
|
|
Rhode Island vs. Alabama - 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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