Waterbury-Shelton Providence-Warwick

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Waterbury-Shelton to Providence-Warwick is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 99.8 to 101.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $261/mo.

+$5,117
BLS median salary higher in Providence-Warwick
139 to 155
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
12.1:1 to 13.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$1,694
DOL infant care lower / yr in Providence-Warwick

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 99.8 → 101.8
Rent Delta: -$261/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $261/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + $5K higher median salary
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - Higher student-teacher ratios

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 99.8 to 101.8 (ratio 1.02), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $261/mo ($3,132/yr) from $1,788 in Waterbury-Shelton to $1,527 in Providence-Warwick.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Providence-Warwick sits #68 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Waterbury-Shelton is #87/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,117 higher ($72,471 → $77,588). Labor-market size: 153,560 tracked jobs at origin vs 683,510 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Connecticut 52 (D, #41/51) vs Rhode Island 54 (D, #35/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Waterbury-Shelton
Providence-Warwick
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 99.8
RPP 101.8
Waterbury-Shelton
Rent (2BR)
$1,788/mo
$1,527/mo
Providence-Warwick
Wages
$72,471
$77,588
Providence-Warwick
Crime
139 per 100K
155 per 100K
Waterbury-Shelton
Schools
12.1:1
13.8:1
Waterbury-Shelton
Childcare
$17,127/yr
$15,433/yr
Providence-Warwick
Environment
801 violations
192 violations
Providence-Warwick

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Connecticut
52 D #41/51
Income tax
62
Property tax
50
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
86
Destination state · Rhode Island
54 D #35/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
53
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
74

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Waterbury-Shelton to see what you'd need to earn in Providence-Warwick to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Providence-Warwick
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026