Moving to Rhode Island from Tennessee

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Tennessee to Rhode Island — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Tennessee to Rhode Island, you would find that Rhode Island is 18.5% more expensive than Tennessee. A $75,000 salary in Tennessee would need to be roughly $91,270 in Rhode Island to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Providence averages 61°F vs 70°F in Nashville, making it significantly cooler.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Tennessee to Rhode Island.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $91,270

To maintain the same standard of living in Rhode Island

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 9.3% more

Groceries

pay 24.0% more

Transportation

pay 40.4% more

Housing

pay 24.6% more

Childcare

pay 32.8% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 25.6% more

See full cost of living breakdown

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 Tennessee and Rhode Island stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

TN
612
RI
165
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

TN
2301
RI
1102

Rhode Island performs significantly better than Tennessee across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

TN
9.5%
RI
4.2%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

TN
37.9%
RI
31.6%

Rhode Island performs significantly better than Tennessee across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

TN
$256,800
RI
$368,800
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

TN
$1,122
RI
$1,273

Tennessee performs better than Rhode Island across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

TN
87.6%
RI
90.8%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

TN
26 min
RI
26 min

Rhode Island performs significantly better than Tennessee across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

TN
3.4%
RI
4.4%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

TN
$60,177
RI
$56,938

Tennessee generally does better on employment & economy, though Rhode Island leads in median household income.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

TN
73.8 yrs
RI
78.2 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

TN
20%
RI
26%

Rhode Island performs significantly better than Tennessee 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.

Nashville Rain: 47.2 in/yr (1200 mm)
70° / 49°F

Avg. annual high / low

Providence Rain: 47.2 in/yr (1198 mm)
61° / 42°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Nashville Providence
Jan–Mar 53°/33°F (12°/1°C) 42°/25°F (5°/-4°C)
Apr–Jun 78°/56°F (26°/14°C) 68°/49°F (20°/9°C)
Jul–Sep 87°/66°F (30°/19°C) 79°/61°F (26°/16°C)
Oct–Dec 60°/40°F (16°/4°C) 53°/35°F (12°/2°C)
View all months
Month Nashville Providence
Jan 47°/28°F (8.3°/-2.0°C) 37°/21°F (3.0°/-6.1°C)
Feb 52°/32°F (11.0°/-0.2°C) 40°/24°F (4.6°/-4.7°C)
Mar 61°/39°F (16.1°/3.9°C) 48°/30°F (8.8°/-1.1°C)
Apr 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.6°C) 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.2°C)
May 78°/57°F (25.7°/13.8°C) 68°/49°F (20.2°/9.2°C)
Jun 86°/65°F (30.0°/18.6°C) 78°/58°F (25.3°/14.7°C)
Jul 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.9°C)
Aug 89°/68°F (31.7°/20.2°C) 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.3°C)
Sep 82°/61°F (28.0°/15.9°C) 74°/55°F (23.4°/12.9°C)
Oct 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.4°C) 63°/44°F (17.4°/6.6°C)
Nov 60°/39°F (15.7°/4.1°C) 53°/36°F (11.8°/2.1°C)
Dec 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.4°C) 42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.2°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Rhode Island than Tennessee?

Day-to-day costs in Rhode Island run about 22% higher than Tennessee on average; specific cities can swing further.

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 $22,818 in Rhode Island for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Rhode Island safe?

Rhode Island performs significantly better than Tennessee across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Rhode Island compared to Tennessee?

Rhode Island performs significantly better than Tennessee across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What's the weather like in Rhode Island compared to Tennessee?

The average high temperature in Providence is 61°F, compared to 70°F in Nashville. Providence receives around 47.2 in of rainfall per year, while Nashville gets 47.2 in.

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