Is Rhode Island Worth the Price?

What it costs to live here, and how good a place it is to live, in plain numbers.

Best place to live rank

#17

17th out of 50 states overall.

Above average for overall quality of life.

How we rank states ›

Cost to live here

#40

40th cheapest state, about 13% above average.

To live the way $75,000 affords in an average state, you would need about $85,000 here.

How we measure cost ›

Rhode Island ranks 17th of 50 states for overall quality of life and 40th for affordability. It does best on healthcare, safety, and walkability, and struggles most with green space, cost, and economy. A typical household earns about $73,500 a year, and the cost of living runs about 13% above average.

Why Rhode Island ranks #17 for living

Our Best Life Rank scores every state on the things that shape daily life, from cost and climate to schools and safety. Here is how Rhode Island scores on each, best to worst.

Healthcare
#4 of 50
Safety
#5 of 50
Walkability
#5 of 50
Air quality
#9 of 50
Education
#19 of 50
Climate
#21 of 50
Dog friendly
#24 of 50
Green space
#36 of 50
Cost of living
#40 of 50
Economy
#40 of 50

Each factor is ranked 1 (best) to 50 (worst) across all states. Green is strong, yellow is middling, red is weak.

Rhode Island at a glance

Typical household income

$73,500

19th highest

Typical home price

$507,000

11th highest

Overall cost of living

13% above average

40th cheapest

Total taxes on a typical household

About 15%

14th highest income tax

Typical commute

About 25 min

one way

Taxes in Rhode Island

See your real Rhode Island take-home pay

Enter your salary and get your actual paycheck after Rhode Island taxes.

Calculate my take-home pay ›
Sources: Cost and income from the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tax rates from the Tax Foundation. Best Life Rank factors from the Commonwealth Fund, NAEP, FBI, EPA, and NOAA. Cost measured by the BLISS Score, v1.3 method. Updated 2026.