Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Carolina vs. Rhode Island Cost of Living Summary
North Carolina is 8.9% cheaper than Rhode Island.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.1% less in North Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 8.3% less in North Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 13.8% less in North Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 19.1% less in North Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 12.3% less in North Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 17.1% less in North Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 25.5% more in North Carolina
Expenses including housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, transportation, childcare, and groceries are lower in North Carolina.
North Carolina vs. Rhode Island Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Carolina instead of Rhode Island, you would:
pay 17.1% less for restaurants
|
Rhode Island
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.33
|
$17.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.33
|
$10.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.19
|
$1.82
|
|
Rhode Island vs. North Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 8.3% less for groceries
|
Rhode Island
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.99
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.34
|
$6.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.86
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.99
|
$3.98
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.50
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.68
|
$2.47
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.51
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.69
|
$1.74
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.70
|
$1.80
|
|
Rhode Island vs. North Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 13.8% less for transportation
|
Rhode Island
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.21
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$70.00
|
$60.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,181.63
|
$33,588.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$27.61
|
$19.99
|
|
Rhode Island vs. North Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 19.1% less for housing
|
Rhode Island
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.25
|
$72.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,195.21
|
$1,488.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,880.56
|
$1,261.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.52
|
$132.31
|
|
Rhode Island vs. North Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 12.3% less for childcare
|
Rhode Island
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,353.94
|
$1,261.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,000.00
|
$24,633.15
|
|
Rhode Island vs. North Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 17.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Rhode Island
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.42
|
$5.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.71
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.17
|
$7.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$62.00
|
$48.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.42
|
$12.98
|
|
Rhode Island vs. North Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 25.5% more for clothing
|
Rhode Island
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$43.10
|
$49.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$29.67
|
$37.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$73.83
|
$88.37
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$78.89
|
$111.01
|
|
Rhode Island vs. North Carolina - 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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