on $100k a year, leaving Santa Maria

change
Providence, RI cityscape

instead of santa maria

Providence

ri · metro 1.7M

a dispatch from

providence

RI

41.82°N

71.42°W

Providence is what a college town looks like wearing a former industrial capital's old leather jacket. Brown and RISD pour creatives in by the thousand, Federal Hill has been feeding them red sauce since forever, and on summer nights WaterFire literally lights bonfires up and down the river. It's cheap enough that Boston refugees actually stay. The state capitol has the fourth-largest self-supporting marble dome in the world, and you'll be told within an hour of arrival.

metro1.7M

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$1,501

lighter monthly cost than Santa Maria

In Providence, rent stops being the headline. The cost gap shows up every month without you trying.
landable, recorded on the providence entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,127/mo

37% cheaper than Santa Maria(vs $3,352/mo)

02state income tax

5.99%

$276/mo less in state tax than Santa Maria

vs 9.3% in Santa Maria

03after rent

$5,707/mo

$1,501 more than Santa Maria

gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.

04a house here

$528k

50% cheaper than Santa Maria

vs $1059k in Santa Maria

05metro size

1.7M

vs 441k in Santa Maria

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

159

pleasant days a year, in providence.

Santa Maria actually gets more: 337 pleasant days a year. Cold snaps are part of the year: 35 days below 20° here, 0 in Santa Maria.

·outdoorscore

63/100

7% higher than Santa Maria

vs 59/100 in Santa Maria

Closest outdoor draw: Acushnet Cedar Swamp State Reservation, 23.8 mi.

·walk score®

96/100

10% higher than Santa Maria

vs 87/100 in Santa Maria

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

17

750% more than Santa Maria

vs 2 nonstops in Santa Maria

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as providence:

compare providence with: