Moving to Rhode Island from Massachusetts
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Massachusetts to Rhode Island — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Massachusetts to Rhode Island, you would find that Rhode Island is 0.3% cheaper than Massachusetts. A $75,000 salary in Massachusetts would need to be roughly $75,343 in Rhode Island to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Massachusetts to Rhode Island.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $75,343
To maintain the same standard of living in Rhode Island
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.4% more
Groceries
pay 12.2% more
Transportation
pay 18.7% more
Housing
pay 0.3% more
Childcare
pay 8.8% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 4.6% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Massachusetts and Rhode Island stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Massachusetts generally does better on safety, though Rhode Island leads in violent crime rate.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Massachusetts performs better than Rhode Island across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Rhode Island performs significantly better than Massachusetts across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Massachusetts generally does better on infrastructure, though Rhode Island leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Massachusetts generally does better on employment & economy, though Rhode Island leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Massachusetts performs better than Rhode Island across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Boston | Providence |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 40°/26°F (4°/-3°C) | 42°/25°F (5°/-4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 66°/50°F (19°/10°C) | 68°/49°F (20°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/62°F (25°/17°C) | 79°/61°F (26°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/38°F (11°/3°C) | 53°/35°F (12°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Boston | Providence |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.4°C) | 37°/21°F (3.0°/-6.1°C) |
| Feb | 39°/25°F (3.7°/-4.1°C) | 40°/24°F (4.6°/-4.7°C) |
| Mar | 45°/31°F (7.4°/-0.5°C) | 48°/30°F (8.8°/-1.1°C) |
| Apr | 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C) | 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.2°C) |
| May | 66°/50°F (18.9°/9.9°C) | 68°/49°F (20.2°/9.2°C) |
| Jun | 76°/60°F (24.4°/15.3°C) | 78°/58°F (25.3°/14.7°C) |
| Jul | 81°/65°F (27.4°/18.6°C) | 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.9°C) |
| Aug | 80°/65°F (26.4°/18.1°C) | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.3°C) |
| Sep | 72°/57°F (22.4°/14.1°C) | 74°/55°F (23.4°/12.9°C) |
| Oct | 61°/47°F (16.3°/8.1°C) | 63°/44°F (17.4°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 51°/38°F (10.8°/3.3°C) | 53°/36°F (11.8°/2.1°C) |
| Dec | 41°/28°F (5.1°/-2.1°C) | 42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Rhode Island than Massachusetts?
Headline costs are within a few percent between Rhode Island and Massachusetts; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
How much money do I need to move to Rhode Island?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $18,836 in Rhode Island for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Rhode Island safe?
Massachusetts generally does better on safety, though Rhode Island leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Rhode Island compared to Massachusetts?
Massachusetts performs better than Rhode Island across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Rhode Island compared to Massachusetts?
The average high temperature in Providence is 61°F, compared to 59°F in Boston. Providence receives around 47.2 in of rainfall per year, while Boston gets 43.8 in.
