Cost of living comparison
compared to
Massachusetts vs. Rhode Island Cost of Living Summary
Massachusetts is 5.1% more expensive than Rhode Island.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.2% less in Massachusetts
- Groceries
-
pay 8.5% less in Massachusetts
- Transportation
-
pay 11.8% less in Massachusetts
- Housing
-
pay 0.2% more in Massachusetts
- Childcare
-
pay 23.4% more in Massachusetts
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 5.0% more in Massachusetts
- Clothing
-
pay 29.7% more in Massachusetts
The cost of clothing, childcare, entertainment and sports, and housing in Massachusetts are more expensive than in Rhode Island. Expenses including transportation, groceries, and restaurants are lower in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts vs. Rhode Island Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Massachusetts instead of Rhode Island, you would:
pay 2.2% less for restaurants
|
Rhode Island
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.33
|
$20.54
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.33
|
$12.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.63
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.19
|
$2.13
|
|
Rhode Island vs. Massachusetts - Cost of restaurants
pay 8.5% less for groceries
|
Rhode Island
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.99
|
$3.53
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.34
|
$7.98
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.86
|
$4.30
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.99
|
$4.57
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.50
|
$5.52
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.68
|
$2.43
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$0.75
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$2.19
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.51
|
$2.51
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.69
|
$1.36
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.70
|
$1.32
|
|
Rhode Island vs. Massachusetts - Cost of groceries
pay 11.8% less for transportation
|
Rhode Island
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.21
|
$3.21
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$70.00
|
$70.22
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,181.63
|
$33,617.11
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$27.61
|
$16.49
|
|
Rhode Island vs. Massachusetts - Cost of transportation
pay 0.2% more for housing
|
Rhode Island
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.25
|
$70.71
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,195.21
|
$2,203.18
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,880.56
|
$1,938.26
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.52
|
$152.69
|
|
Rhode Island vs. Massachusetts - Cost of housing
pay 23.4% more for childcare
|
Rhode Island
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,353.94
|
$2,228.25
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,000.00
|
$24,653.85
|
|
Rhode Island vs. Massachusetts - Cost of childcare
pay 5.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Rhode Island
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.42
|
$6.61
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.71
|
$4.91
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.17
|
$12.23
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$62.00
|
$69.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.42
|
$14.41
|
|
Rhode Island vs. Massachusetts - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 29.7% more for clothing
|
Rhode Island
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$43.10
|
$51.65
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$29.67
|
$38.73
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$73.83
|
$87.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$78.89
|
$118.04
|
|
Rhode Island vs. Massachusetts - 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: November 2025
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