Moving to Rhode Island from Vermont

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What to Expect

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

If you moved from Vermont to Rhode Island, you would find that Rhode Island is 9.5% more expensive than Vermont. A $75,000 salary in Vermont would need to be roughly $87,092 in Rhode Island to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

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

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $87,092

To maintain the same standard of living in Rhode Island

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 14.1% more

Groceries

pay 15.4% more

Transportation

pay 18.3% more

Housing

pay 27.1% more

Childcare

pay 7.7% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 0.2% less

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 Vermont 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

VT
211
RI
165
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

VT
1802
RI
1102

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

How's the healthcare?

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

share of people without health insurance

VT
3.9%
RI
4.2%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

VT
27.2%
RI
31.6%

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

What about housing?

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

typical price of a home

VT
$290,500
RI
$368,800
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

VT
$1,193
RI
$1,273

Vermont 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

VT
88.4%
RI
90.8%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

VT
23 min
RI
26 min

Vermont generally does better on infrastructure, though Rhode Island leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

VT
2.6%
RI
4.4%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

VT
$56,462
RI
$56,938

Vermont generally does better on employment & economy, though Rhode Island leads in gdp per capita.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

VT
78.8 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

VT
31%
RI
26%

Vermont 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.

Montpelier Rain: 42.4 in/yr (1078 mm)
56° / 32°F

Avg. annual high / low

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

Avg. annual high / low

Months Montpelier Providence
Jan–Mar 34°/8°F (1°/-13°C) 42°/25°F (5°/-4°C)
Apr–Jun 67°/42°F (20°/5°C) 68°/49°F (20°/9°C)
Jul–Sep 79°/53°F (26°/12°C) 79°/61°F (26°/16°C)
Oct–Dec 46°/25°F (8°/-4°C) 53°/35°F (12°/2°C)
View all months
Month Montpelier Providence
Jan 28°/3°F (-2.2°/-15.9°C) 37°/21°F (3.0°/-6.1°C)
Feb 33°/6°F (0.3°/-14.5°C) 40°/24°F (4.6°/-4.7°C)
Mar 42°/16°F (5.4°/-8.9°C) 48°/30°F (8.8°/-1.1°C)
Apr 55°/30°F (12.8°/-1.1°C) 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.2°C)
May 69°/42°F (20.3°/5.5°C) 68°/49°F (20.2°/9.2°C)
Jun 78°/53°F (25.5°/11.7°C) 78°/58°F (25.3°/14.7°C)
Jul 83°/58°F (28.4°/14.2°C) 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.9°C)
Aug 81°/55°F (27.4°/13.0°C) 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.3°C)
Sep 73°/47°F (22.8°/8.2°C) 74°/55°F (23.4°/12.9°C)
Oct 59°/35°F (15.1°/1.4°C) 63°/44°F (17.4°/6.6°C)
Nov 46°/26°F (7.6°/-3.4°C) 53°/36°F (11.8°/2.1°C)
Dec 32°/13°F (0.2°/-10.8°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 Vermont?

Day-to-day costs in Rhode Island run about 16% higher than Vermont 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 $21,773 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 Vermont across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Rhode Island compared to Vermont?

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

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

The average high temperature in Providence is 61°F, compared to 56°F in Montpelier. Providence receives around 47.2 in of rainfall per year, while Montpelier gets 42.4 in.

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