Overall
101.8
Above avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
Cost-of-living indicators for Providence-Warwick, RI-MA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 101.8
- Overall RPP
- #59
- of 387 metros
- 103.9
- Rents RPP
- $98K
- $100K national buys
Providence ranks #59 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Portland-South Portland
The verdict
Providence is more expensive than 85% of U.S. metros, an overall cost index of 101.8, 1.8% above the national average, led by services at 148.8.
- top 15%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 97.1
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 148.8
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $98,258 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $101,773.
Providence vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
102 Top 15% higher than 85% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Providence cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
103.9 RPP
- Services
Services
148.8 RPP
- Overall
Overall
101.8 RPP
- Goods
Goods
97.1 RPP
What this shows Providence's strongest departure is services at 148.8; rents follows at 103.9. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Providence's cost comes from
Metros near Providence's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Providence (Providence, this metro): goods RPP 97.1, rents RPP 103.9
- Portland: goods RPP 97.2, rents RPP 105.2
- Hanford: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 93.5
- Eugene: goods RPP 105.3, rents RPP 98.4
- Albany: goods RPP 105.3, rents RPP 101.1
- Medford: goods RPP 105.3, rents RPP 97.7
- Orlando: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 123.4
Price Index Summary
Goods
97.1
Below avg
Services
148.8
Expensive
Rents
103.9
Above avg
Service-cost-led profile
How Providence's cost structure works
Services are the defining pressure in Providence: the BEA services component is 148.8, farther above the national baseline than local rents or tradable goods. That service-heavy pattern explains an overall RPP of 101.8 differently from a housing-led metro.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT, Amherst Town-Northampton, MA, Modesto, CA. They resemble Providence across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Providence's overall index has stayed within 1.9 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$101,773
in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$50,887
$75,000 nationally
$76,330
$125,000 nationally
$127,216
$150,000 nationally
$152,660
$200,000 nationally
$203,546
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
22/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
22nd percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 1.9 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2022, when the index jumped 2.3 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Providence overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 103.7 |
| 2009 | 103.8 |
| 2010 | 101.8 |
| 2011 | 101.3 |
| 2012 | 100.3 |
| 2013 | 101.6 |
| 2014 | 100.5 |
| 2015 | 102.3 |
| 2016 | 101.9 |
| 2017 | 103.1 |
| 2018 | 101.4 |
| 2019 | 101.9 |
| 2020 | 101.7 |
| 2021 | 101.4 |
| 2022 | 103.6 |
| 2023 | 101.5 |
| 2024 | 101.8 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Providence's overall RPP rose +0.3 points, from 101.5 in 2023 to 101.8 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 99.0 to 103.9. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Providence's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
Goods 97.3 · Services 144.9 · Rents 110.2 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
Goods 97.0 · Services 155.7 · Rents 97.5 Modesto, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 152.3 · Rents 108.5 Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT
Goods 97.3 · Services 148.6 · Rents 93.7 Worcester, MA
Goods 97.0 · Services 155.2 · Rents 113.0 Portland-South Portland, ME
Goods 97.2 · Services 134.6 · Rents 105.2
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Providence-Warwick, RI-MA's index of 101.8.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Providence-Warwick, RI-MA: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (101.8 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (103.9 here).
Burlington-South Burlington, VT Rents 103.8 Lexington Park, MD Rents 103.8 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT Rents 104.1 Raleigh-Cary, NC Rents 103.5 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Rents 104.5 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN Rents 104.6 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY Rents 102.6 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Rents 105.5
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
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What this means for Providence
How to read Providence's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $98,258 in Providence. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 148.8, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Providence head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA?
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 101.8, meaning it is 1.8% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 97.1, services at 148.8, and rents at 103.9. It ranks #59 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $101,773 in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA. Conversely, $100K earned in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA has the purchasing power of $98,258 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA?
Rents in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA are indexed at 103.9, which is 3.9% above the national average. This is close to the U.S. average.
Is Providence-Warwick, RI-MA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Providence-Warwick, RI-MA's overall cost index changed by -1.9 points (from 103.7 to 101.8). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA?
The priciest category in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA is services at 148.8, 48.8% above the national average. The most affordable category is goods at 97.1, 2.9% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Providence-Warwick, RI-MA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Portland-South Portland, Hanford-Corcoran, Eugene-Springfield. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Providence-Warwick, RI-MA's 101.8.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.