Cost of living in Providence, Rhode Island
Simple answer
Typical rent is $1,408 a month.
Providence is a city in Rhode Island. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $68,119 a year.
- People
- 191,767
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $1,408
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $68,119
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $362,200
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $1,879
- Providence-Fall River, RI-MA HUD Metro FMR Area
Providence, Rhode Island has about 191,767 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $362,200.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in this town's area (Providence-Fall River, RI-MA HUD Metro FMR Area) is $1,879 a month. That rate runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
In the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area, prices sit at 101.8 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.
Rhode Island taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 7.0% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Providence's exact store tax.
In July 2026, a typical Rhode Island home paid 28.29¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Providence's bill.
EIA did not publish a 2025 all-grades gas price for Rhode Island in the table we use.
Among 22 places we list in Rhode Island with a rent figure, 5 have higher typical rent than Providence.
Nearby places
- East Providence
Typical rent $1,288
Compare with Providence - Pawtucket
Typical rent $1,208
Compare with Providence - Central Falls
Typical rent $1,200
Compare with Providence - Cranston
Typical rent $1,375
Compare with Providence - North Seekonk
Typical rent $1,421
Compare with Providence - Valley Falls
Typical rent $1,362
Compare with Providence - Greenville
Typical rent $1,264
Compare with Providence - Warwick
Typical rent $1,363
Compare with Providence
EBT nearby
USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.
Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.
Food stamps (SNAP) tools in Rhode Island
Bigger places in Rhode Island
Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.