Cost of living comparison
compared to
Rhode Island vs. Wisconsin Cost of Living Summary
Rhode Island is 15.9% more expensive than Wisconsin.
- Restaurants
-
pay 16.6% more in Rhode Island
- Groceries
-
pay 30.0% more in Rhode Island
- Transportation
-
pay 28.9% more in Rhode Island
- Housing
-
pay 50.1% more in Rhode Island
- Childcare
-
pay 12.2% less in Rhode Island
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 19.6% more in Rhode Island
- Clothing
-
pay 21.8% less in Rhode Island
The cost of housing, groceries, transportation, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in Rhode Island are more expensive than in Wisconsin. Expenses including clothing and childcare are lower in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island vs. Wisconsin Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Rhode Island instead of Wisconsin, you would:
pay 16.6% more for restaurants
|
Wisconsin
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.68
|
$20.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.05
|
$13.33
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.63
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.98
|
$2.19
|
|
Wisconsin vs. Rhode Island - Cost of restaurants
pay 30.0% more for groceries
|
Wisconsin
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.29
|
$3.99
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.16
|
$6.34
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.52
|
$4.86
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.12
|
$4.99
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.37
|
$5.50
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.11
|
$2.68
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$1.16
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.90
|
$2.23
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.13
|
$2.51
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.02
|
$1.69
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.23
|
$1.70
|
|
Wisconsin vs. Rhode Island - Cost of groceries
pay 28.9% more for transportation
|
Wisconsin
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.13
|
$3.21
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$50.85
|
$70.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,550.59
|
$36,181.63
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.78
|
$27.61
|
|
Wisconsin vs. Rhode Island - Cost of transportation
pay 50.1% more for housing
|
Wisconsin
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.49
|
$65.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,194.55
|
$2,195.21
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$970.14
|
$1,880.56
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$134.51
|
$171.52
|
|
Wisconsin vs. Rhode Island - Cost of housing
pay 12.2% less for childcare
|
Wisconsin
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,662.39
|
$1,353.94
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$31,803.36
|
$30,000.00
|
|
Wisconsin vs. Rhode Island - Cost of childcare
pay 19.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Wisconsin
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.51
|
$6.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.99
|
$4.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.26
|
$12.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$46.71
|
$62.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.06
|
$14.42
|
|
Wisconsin vs. Rhode Island - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 21.8% less for clothing
|
Wisconsin
|
Rhode Island
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.31
|
$43.10
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.83
|
$29.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.73
|
$73.83
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.46
|
$78.89
|
|
Wisconsin 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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