What is the cost of living in Providence-Warwick?

Providence-Warwick has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 101.8, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 103.9, which is above the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,527/month.

What is the median salary in Providence-Warwick?

The median salary in Providence-Warwick is $77,588 annually (mean: $80,755). Top occupations include Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Home Health and Personal Care Aides.

How safe is Providence-Warwick?

The violent crime rate in the Providence-Warwick area is 155 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1040 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Providence-Warwick?

The state of RI has 309 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 13.8:1. Charter schools make up 13.3% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Providence-Warwick?

Infant center-based childcare in the Providence-Warwick area averages $15,433 per year. Preschool averages $13,066/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Providence-Warwick a good place to relocate?

Providence-Warwick has a Life Score of 43.6/100 (F), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a below-average score, several dimensions likely pull the composite down; compare specific dimensions to see which ones.

Where does Providence-Warwick sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Providence-Warwick ranks #68 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

BEA RPP 101.8 ranks #329 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

101.8
Cost index (US=100): $1,527
2BR rent / mo: $77,588
Median salary: 59
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Providence-Warwick ranks #68 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (59/100), with its strongest marks in low hazard and safety.

#68
of 387 US metros · Above median: 1,112,308
metro-area population: 155
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 309
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: cost of living (15/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Providence-Warwick ranks #68 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 101.8 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,527/mo, median salary $77,588; LiveAbility Score 59/100, strongest in low hazard and safety.

Signature: BEA RPP 101.8 ranks #329 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 101.8 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,527/mo.

LiveAbility 59/100 puts Providence-Warwick in the top third (#68 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Providence-Warwick area is 683,510.

Providence-Warwick vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

59 Top 18% higher than 82% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Providence-Warwick housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Providence-Warwick MSA; housing RPP 103.9 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,527/mo.

Studio

$1,203

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,230

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,527

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,831

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,289

/month

Providence-Warwick wages and employment

Providence-Warwick posts 683,510 total employment with median salary $77,588 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$77,588

Mean Salary

$80,755

Total Employment

683,510

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$33,700
Retail Salespersons	$35,230
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$40,890
Registered Nurses	$99,880
Cashiers	$34,540

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Providence-Warwick area from NCES.

Schools

309

Enrollment

135,978

Student:Teacher

13.8:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Providence-Warwick area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$15,433

per year

Toddler (Center)

$14,883

per year

Preschool (Center)

$13,066

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Providence-Warwick's composite Life Score is 43.6/100 (F), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

15/100

Bottom decile

Wages

88/100

Elite

Rent

30/100

Weak

Crime

89/100

Elite

Schools

14/100

Bottom decile

Childcare

16/100

Bottom decile

Environment

23/100

Weak

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Providence-Warwick ranks #68 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 59/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Low hazard (100/100)

Low hazard

100
Safety

89
Job market

88
Schools

86
Air quality

59
Housing

30
Climate

23
Cost of living

15

What this shows Providence-Warwick's strongest dimensions are low hazard and safety; its weakest among scored dims is cost of living at 15/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Providence-Warwick to

Warner Robins Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Waterbury-Shelton Waterloo-Cedar Falls Watertown-Fort Drum Wausau

Metros near Providence-Warwick on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Providence-Warwick on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Providence-Warwick cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Providence-Warwick wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Providence-Warwick?

Providence-Warwick runs a $77,588 median salary at a 101.8 cost index, ranking #68 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Providence-Warwick's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Providence-Warwick head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Providence-Warwick
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.