Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Rhode Island Cost of Living Summary
United States is 5.0% cheaper than Rhode Island.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.3% less in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 13.3% less in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 11.6% less in United States
- Housing
-
pay 13.9% less in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 10.1% less in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 8.1% less in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 30.0% more in United States
Expenses including housing, groceries, transportation, childcare, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in United States.
United States vs. Rhode Island Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Rhode Island, you would:
pay 8.3% less for restaurants
|
Rhode Island
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.33
|
$19.45
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.33
|
$11.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.19
|
$2.00
|
|
Rhode Island vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.3% less for groceries
|
Rhode Island
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.99
|
$3.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.34
|
$6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.86
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.99
|
$4.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.50
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.68
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.51
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.69
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.70
|
$1.38
|
|
Rhode Island vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 11.6% less for transportation
|
Rhode Island
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.21
|
$3.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$70.00
|
$65.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,181.63
|
$32,336.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$27.61
|
$17.61
|
|
Rhode Island vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 13.9% less for housing
|
Rhode Island
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.25
|
$68.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,195.21
|
$1,664.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,880.56
|
$1,416.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.52
|
$150.19
|
|
Rhode Island vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 10.1% less for childcare
|
Rhode Island
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,353.94
|
$1,387.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,000.00
|
$23,196.46
|
|
Rhode Island vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 8.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Rhode Island
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.42
|
$5.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.71
|
$5.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.17
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$62.00
|
$51.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.42
|
$13.64
|
|
Rhode Island vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 30.0% more for clothing
|
Rhode Island
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$43.10
|
$51.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$29.67
|
$41.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$73.83
|
$87.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$78.89
|
$112.04
|
|
Rhode Island vs. United States - 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
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about United States or Rhode Island. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.