Cost of living comparison
compared to
Rhode Island vs. Virginia Cost of Living Summary
Rhode Island is 3.3% more expensive than Virginia.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.1% more in Rhode Island
- Groceries
-
pay 4.8% more in Rhode Island
- Transportation
-
pay 19.2% more in Rhode Island
- Housing
-
pay 18.9% more in Rhode Island
- Childcare
-
pay 8.7% less in Rhode Island
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 8.3% more in Rhode Island
- Clothing
-
pay 24.8% less in Rhode Island
The cost of transportation, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries in Rhode Island are more expensive than in Virginia. Expenses including clothing and childcare are lower in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island vs. Virginia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Rhode Island instead of Virginia, you would:
pay 5.1% more for restaurants
|
Virginia
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.95
|
$20.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.32
|
$13.33
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.23
|
$2.19
|
|
Virginia vs. Rhode Island - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.8% more for groceries
|
Virginia
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.66
|
$3.99
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.57
|
$6.34
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.86
|
$4.86
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.30
|
$4.99
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.27
|
$5.50
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.78
|
$2.68
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$1.16
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.60
|
$2.23
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.90
|
$2.51
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.69
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.56
|
$1.70
|
|
Virginia vs. Rhode Island - Cost of groceries
pay 19.2% more for transportation
|
Virginia
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.14
|
$3.21
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$81.69
|
$70.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,360.29
|
$36,181.63
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.32
|
$27.61
|
|
Virginia vs. Rhode Island - Cost of transportation
pay 18.9% more for housing
|
Virginia
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.63
|
$65.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,767.25
|
$2,195.21
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,444.78
|
$1,880.56
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$139.02
|
$171.52
|
|
Virginia vs. Rhode Island - Cost of housing
pay 8.7% less for childcare
|
Virginia
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,687.43
|
$1,353.94
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$29,254.08
|
$30,000.00
|
|
Virginia vs. Rhode Island - Cost of childcare
pay 8.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Virginia
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.97
|
$6.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.35
|
$4.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.83
|
$12.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$56.35
|
$62.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.65
|
$14.42
|
|
Virginia vs. Rhode Island - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 24.8% less for clothing
|
Virginia
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.65
|
$43.10
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.78
|
$29.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.01
|
$73.83
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$114.93
|
$78.89
|
|
Virginia vs. Rhode Island - 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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