on $100k a year, leaving Washington

change
Providence, RI cityscape

if you left washington

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

$434

below Washington's monthly cost

Providence gives you room Washington doesn't. Same gross salary, lower monthly cost of living.
landable, recorded on the providence entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,127/mo

10% cheaper than Washington(vs $2,352/mo)

02state income tax

5.99%

$209/mo less in state tax than Washington

vs 8.5% in Washington

03after rent

$5,707/mo

$434 more than Washington

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

04a house here

$528k

16% cheaper than Washington

vs $626k in Washington

05metro size

1.7M

vs 6.3M in Washington

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

159

pleasant days a year, in providence.

Washington edges ahead with 177 pleasant days. A real winter, not a brutal one: 35 days under 20°, vs 11 in Washington.

Lighter on events: Washington packs 7.7× more into a month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

63/100

28% lower than Washington

vs 87/100 in Washington

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

·walk score®

96/100

2% lower than Washington

vs 98/100 in Washington

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

17

89% fewer than Washington

vs 160 nonstops in Washington

04 · see also

cities that play in providence's register:

compare providence with: