Moving to Massachusetts from Rhode Island
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Rhode Island to Massachusetts — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Rhode Island to Massachusetts, you would find that Massachusetts is 5.1% more expensive than Rhode Island. A $75,000 salary in Rhode Island would need to be roughly $74,659 in Massachusetts to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Rhode Island to Massachusetts.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $74,659
To maintain the same standard of living in Massachusetts
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.2% less
Groceries
pay 8.5% less
Transportation
pay 11.8% less
Housing
pay 0.2% more
Childcare
pay 23.4% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.0% more
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 Rhode Island and Massachusetts 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
Rhode Island generally does better on safety, though Massachusetts leads in property 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 significantly 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 better than Massachusetts across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Rhode Island generally does better on infrastructure, though Massachusetts leads in internet access.
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 significantly 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 | Providence | Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/25°F (5°/-4°C) | 40°/26°F (4°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/49°F (20°/9°C) | 66°/50°F (19°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 79°/61°F (26°/16°C) | 78°/62°F (25°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 53°/35°F (12°/2°C) | 51°/38°F (11°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Providence | Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37°/21°F (3.0°/-6.1°C) | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.4°C) |
| Feb | 40°/24°F (4.6°/-4.7°C) | 39°/25°F (3.7°/-4.1°C) |
| Mar | 48°/30°F (8.8°/-1.1°C) | 45°/31°F (7.4°/-0.5°C) |
| Apr | 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.2°C) | 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C) |
| May | 68°/49°F (20.2°/9.2°C) | 66°/50°F (18.9°/9.9°C) |
| Jun | 78°/58°F (25.3°/14.7°C) | 76°/60°F (24.4°/15.3°C) |
| Jul | 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.9°C) | 81°/65°F (27.4°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.3°C) | 80°/65°F (26.4°/18.1°C) |
| Sep | 74°/55°F (23.4°/12.9°C) | 72°/57°F (22.4°/14.1°C) |
| Oct | 63°/44°F (17.4°/6.6°C) | 61°/47°F (16.3°/8.1°C) |
| Nov | 53°/36°F (11.8°/2.1°C) | 51°/38°F (10.8°/3.3°C) |
| Dec | 42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.2°C) | 41°/28°F (5.1°/-2.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Massachusetts than Rhode Island?
Headline costs are within a few percent between Massachusetts and Rhode Island; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
How much money do I need to move to Massachusetts?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $18,665 in Massachusetts for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Massachusetts safe?
Rhode Island generally does better on safety, though Massachusetts leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Massachusetts compared to Rhode Island?
Massachusetts performs significantly better than Rhode Island across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Massachusetts compared to Rhode Island?
The average high temperature in Boston is 59°F, compared to 61°F in Providence. Boston receives around 43.8 in of rainfall per year, while Providence gets 47.2 in.
