Cost of living comparison

 California, USA
compared to
 Rhode Island, USA
Rhode Island vs. California Cost of Living Summary

Rhode Island is 10.0% more expensive than California.

Restaurants
pay 4.2% more in Rhode Island
Groceries
pay 13.5% more in Rhode Island
Transportation
pay 4.0% more in Rhode Island
Housing
pay 9.4% less in Rhode Island
Childcare
pay 56.4% more in Rhode Island
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.8% more in Rhode Island
Clothing
pay 1.8% less in Rhode Island

The cost of childcare, groceries, restaurants, transportation, and entertainment and sports in Rhode Island are more expensive than in California. Expenses including housing and clothing are lower in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island vs. California Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Rhode Island instead of California, you would:

pay 4.2% more for restaurants

 
California
Rhode Island
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $21.02
 
$24.67
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$11.52
 
$11.33
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.71
 
$2.67
 

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pay 13.5% more for groceries

 
California
Rhode Island
Bread
1 loaf
$4.14
 
$3.91
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.95
 
$6.42
 
Milk (1 gallon) $4.61
 
$5.29
 

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pay 4.0% more for transportation

 
California
Rhode Island
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.83
 
$3.50
 
Monthly public transit pass $62.05
 
$70.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $30,005.28
 
$35,691.02
 

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pay 9.4% less for housing

 
California
Rhode Island
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$68.54
 
$62.18
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $2,371.29
 
$2,090.00
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $2,055.18
 
$1,773.33
 

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pay 56.4% more for childcare

 
California
Rhode Island
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,682.51
 
$2,051.19
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $30,905.75
 
$59,000.00
 

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pay 2.8% more for entertainment and sports

 
California
Rhode Island
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.00
 
$6.67
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.34
 
$4.98
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$10.91
 
$13.00
 

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pay 1.8% less for clothing

 
California
Rhode Island
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$52.77
 
$54.53
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$40.15
 
$37.10
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$85.15
 
$88.87
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: February 2025
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