Moving to Tennessee from Rhode Island
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Rhode Island to Tennessee — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Rhode Island to Tennessee, you would find that Tennessee is 18.2% cheaper than Rhode Island. A $75,000 salary in Rhode Island would need to be roughly $61,400 in Tennessee to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Nashville averages 70°F vs 61°F in Providence, making it significantly warmer. Providence and Nashville are about 910 mi apart.
Is Tennessee cheaper than Rhode Island?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 16.4% less
Groceries
pay 8.8% less
Transportation
pay 17.1% less
Housing
pay 28.7% less
Childcare
pay 28.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.8% 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.
What salary do you need in Tennessee?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $61,400
To maintain the same standard of living in Tennessee
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Rhode Island to Tennessee.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Rhode Island performs better than Tennessee across all safety metrics.
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
Rhode Island performs better than Tennessee across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Tennessee performs significantly better than Rhode Island across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Rhode Island performs better than Tennessee across all infrastructure metrics.
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
Rhode Island generally does better on employment & economy, though Tennessee leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Rhode Island performs better than Tennessee across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Tennessee vs Rhode Island
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Providence | Nashville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/25°F (5°/-4°C) | 53°/33°F (12°/1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/49°F (20°/9°C) | 78°/56°F (26°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 79°/61°F (26°/16°C) | 87°/66°F (30°/19°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 53°/35°F (12°/2°C) | 60°/40°F (16°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Providence | Nashville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37°/21°F (3.0°/-6.1°C) | 47°/28°F (8.3°/-2.0°C) |
| Feb | 40°/24°F (4.6°/-4.7°C) | 52°/32°F (11.0°/-0.2°C) |
| Mar | 48°/30°F (8.8°/-1.1°C) | 61°/39°F (16.1°/3.9°C) |
| Apr | 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.2°C) | 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.6°C) |
| May | 68°/49°F (20.2°/9.2°C) | 78°/57°F (25.7°/13.8°C) |
| Jun | 78°/58°F (25.3°/14.7°C) | 86°/65°F (30.0°/18.6°C) |
| Jul | 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.9°C) | 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) |
| Aug | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.3°C) | 89°/68°F (31.7°/20.2°C) |
| Sep | 74°/55°F (23.4°/12.9°C) | 82°/61°F (28.0°/15.9°C) |
| Oct | 63°/44°F (17.4°/6.6°C) | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.4°C) |
| Nov | 53°/36°F (11.8°/2.1°C) | 60°/39°F (15.7°/4.1°C) |
| Dec | 42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.2°C) | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Tennessee than Rhode Island?
Yes — Tennessee is on average about 18% cheaper than Rhode Island. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Tennessee?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $15,350 in Tennessee on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Tennessee safe?
Rhode Island performs better than Tennessee across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Tennessee compared to Rhode Island?
Rhode Island performs better than Tennessee across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Tennessee compared to Rhode Island?
The average high temperature in Nashville is 70°F, compared to 61°F in Providence. Nashville receives around 47.2 in of rainfall per year, while Providence gets 47.2 in.
