Compare / Providence to Seattle
Providence, RI vs Seattle, WA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $670 a month in Providence.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is Census rent. Census median gross rent differs by $654, with Seattle higher.
Rhode Island taxes wages at rates up to 5.99%. Washington has no tax on wages. Combined sales tax differs by 2.5 percentage points, higher in Washington. The effective property tax gap is 0.29 percentage points, higher in Rhode Island.
After a move from Rhode Island to Washington, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Providence lines up with about $81,898 in Seattle on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Providence
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,879
- HUD area
- Providence-Fall River, RI-MA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,396
- All-items price parity
- 101.8
- Goods price parity
- 97.1
- Utilities price parity
- 148.8
- Mean commute
- 27.9 min
- Median household income
- $82,870
Seattle
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,549
- HUD area
- Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $2,050
- All-items price parity
- 111.1
- Goods price parity
- 104.0
- Utilities price parity
- 92.8
- Mean commute
- 30.0 min
- Median household income
- $112,388
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$81,898
Salary in Seattle that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$79,644
Gross salary in Seattle whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$101,743
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Rhode Island | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 5.99% | No wage tax |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 7.0% | 9.5% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.07% | 0.79% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $4,289 a year in Rhode Island and $3,141 in Washington. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Washington
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Rhode Island and once in Washington. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
ProvidenceLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
ProvidenceLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
WIC
ProvidenceLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
School meals
ProvidenceLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
LIHEAP
ProvidenceMaybe
SeattleMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
ProvidenceLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
ProvidenceLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
ProvidenceUnlikely
SeattleUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
ProvidenceLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
SSI
ProvidenceUnlikely
SeattleUnlikely
| Program | Providence | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Providence
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Providence.
- Providence and San Francisco · rent gap $1,818
- Providence and San Jose · rent gap $1,393
- Providence and Boston · rent gap $1,129
- Providence and New York · rent gap $1,092
- Providence and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,085
- Providence and San Diego · rent gap $944
- Providence and McAllen · rent gap $862
- Providence and Wichita · rent gap $836
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.