01 · the cities
Providence
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.
full dispatch→Springfield
Springfield is where basketball was invented in 1891 (the Basketball Hall of Fame is right here), and where Dr. Seuss grew up (there's a sculpture garden downtown). The city's old industrial buildings are slowly coming back, and the surrounding Pioneer Valley is one of the prettiest stretches in New England. UMass is just up the road. Quieter than Boston, much cheaper.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,127/mo
$1,913/mo
$214/mo less than Providence (11%)
Median home price
Median home price
$528k
$373k
$155k less than Providence
State income tax
State income tax
6.0%
5.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,707/mo
$6,004/mo
Springfield has $297/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
159 days
147 days
12 fewer than Providence
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
1 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
35 days
47 days
days below 20°F per year
Springfield drops below 20°F on 12 more days per year than Providence.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
63 / 100
66 / 100
3.0 pts ahead of Providence
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
17 routes
26 routes
9 more direct routes than Providence
Metro size
Metro size
1.7M metro
460k metro
Providence has 3.5x more events per month than Springfield.
the verdict
2
Providence
categories won
6
Springfield
categories won
Springfield wins on money and lifestyle. Providence has the edge on weather.
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