Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Jersey vs. Rhode Island Cost of Living Summary
New Jersey is 10.6% more expensive than Rhode Island.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.5% less in New Jersey
- Groceries
-
pay 1.3% more in New Jersey
- Transportation
-
pay 7.3% more in New Jersey
- Housing
-
pay 6.5% less in New Jersey
- Childcare
-
pay 20.2% more in New Jersey
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.8% more in New Jersey
- Clothing
-
pay 51.9% more in New Jersey
The cost of clothing, childcare, transportation, entertainment and sports, and groceries in New Jersey are more expensive than in Rhode Island. Expenses including housing and restaurants are lower in New Jersey.
New Jersey vs. Rhode Island Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Jersey instead of Rhode Island, you would:
pay 4.5% less for restaurants
|
Rhode Island
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.33
|
$19.95
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.33
|
$12.40
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.19
|
$2.04
|
|
Rhode Island vs. New Jersey - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.3% more for groceries
|
Rhode Island
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.99
|
$4.17
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.34
|
$8.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.86
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.99
|
$5.24
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.50
|
$5.96
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.68
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$0.98
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.51
|
$2.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.69
|
$1.44
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.70
|
$1.60
|
|
Rhode Island vs. New Jersey - Cost of groceries
pay 7.3% more for transportation
|
Rhode Island
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.21
|
$3.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$70.00
|
$116.02
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,181.63
|
$32,841.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$27.61
|
$19.75
|
|
Rhode Island vs. New Jersey - Cost of transportation
pay 6.5% less for housing
|
Rhode Island
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.25
|
$62.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,195.21
|
$2,279.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,880.56
|
$1,885.98
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.52
|
$126.74
|
|
Rhode Island vs. New Jersey - Cost of housing
pay 20.2% more for childcare
|
Rhode Island
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,353.94
|
$2,023.96
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,000.00
|
$27,267.62
|
|
Rhode Island vs. New Jersey - Cost of childcare
pay 4.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Rhode Island
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.42
|
$6.95
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.71
|
$5.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.17
|
$12.79
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$62.00
|
$52.90
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.42
|
$16.52
|
|
Rhode Island vs. New Jersey - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 51.9% more for clothing
|
Rhode Island
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$43.10
|
$57.64
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$29.67
|
$49.26
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$73.83
|
$99.28
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$78.89
|
$136.81
|
|
Rhode Island vs. New Jersey - 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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