Moving to Rhode Island from Wisconsin
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Wisconsin to Rhode Island — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Wisconsin to Rhode Island, you would find that Rhode Island is 32.1% more expensive than Wisconsin. A $75,000 salary in Wisconsin would need to be roughly $99,100 in Rhode Island to maintain the same lifestyle. Milwaukee and Providence are about 840 mi apart.
Is Rhode Island cheaper than Wisconsin?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 26.9% more
Groceries
pay 21.0% more
Transportation
pay 17.4% more
Housing
pay 65.5% more
Childcare
pay 12.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 18.8% 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.
What salary do you need in Rhode Island?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $99,100
To maintain the same standard of living in Rhode Island
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Wisconsin to Rhode Island.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Rhode Island performs significantly better than Wisconsin 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 generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Wisconsin leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Wisconsin performs 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
Wisconsin generally does better on infrastructure, though Rhode Island 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
Wisconsin generally does better on employment & economy, though Rhode Island leads in median household income.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Rhode Island performs significantly better than Wisconsin 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 Rhode Island vs Wisconsin
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Milwaukee | Providence |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 35°/21°F (1°/-6°C) | 42°/25°F (5°/-4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 65°/47°F (18°/8°C) | 68°/49°F (20°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 76°/61°F (25°/16°C) | 79°/61°F (26°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 46°/32°F (8°/0°C) | 53°/35°F (12°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Milwaukee | Providence |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29°/16°F (-1.7°/-9.1°C) | 37°/21°F (3.0°/-6.1°C) |
| Feb | 33°/19°F (0.3°/-7.1°C) | 40°/24°F (4.6°/-4.7°C) |
| Mar | 42°/28°F (5.8°/-2.4°C) | 48°/30°F (8.8°/-1.1°C) |
| Apr | 54°/37°F (12.1°/2.9°C) | 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.2°C) |
| May | 65°/47°F (18.3°/8.1°C) | 68°/49°F (20.2°/9.2°C) |
| Jun | 75°/57°F (24.1°/13.9°C) | 78°/58°F (25.3°/14.7°C) |
| Jul | 80°/64°F (26.7°/17.5°C) | 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.9°C) |
| Aug | 78°/63°F (25.8°/17.2°C) | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.3°C) |
| Sep | 71°/55°F (21.8°/12.7°C) | 74°/55°F (23.4°/12.9°C) |
| Oct | 59°/43°F (15.2°/6.2°C) | 63°/44°F (17.4°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 46°/32°F (7.8°/0.0°C) | 53°/36°F (11.8°/2.1°C) |
| Dec | 33°/20°F (0.4°/-6.6°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 Wisconsin?
No — Rhode Island is on average about 32% more expensive than Wisconsin. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Rhode Island?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $24,775 in Rhode Island on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Rhode Island safe?
Rhode Island performs significantly better than Wisconsin across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Rhode Island compared to Wisconsin?
Rhode Island generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Wisconsin leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Rhode Island compared to Wisconsin?
The average high temperature in Providence is 61°F, compared to 55°F in Milwaukee. Providence receives around 47.2 in of rainfall per year, while Milwaukee gets 34.8 in.
