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CityLedger

Providence vs Sacramento

Metro-area medians — Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metro Area vs Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Providence comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Providence is about 5% cheaper to live in, while Sacramento households earn about 19% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Sacramento.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Providence, RI
$58,910
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$57,883
real value after local prices
Sacramento, CA
$58,296
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$54,651
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Providence leaves you about $3,232/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Providence
Sacramento
Livability (CityLedger)
52/100
59/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
101.8
106.7
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$81,426
$92,599
Median household income
$82,870
$98,775
Median rent
$1,396/mo
$1,904/mo
Median home value
$471,000
$605,500
Unemployment
4.6%
5.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher
36.5%
38.3%
Average commute
27.9 min
27.7 min
Air quality (median AQI)
42
55
Avg temperature
52°F
63°F

Choose Providence for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Providence profile →

Choose Sacramento for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
Full Sacramento profile →

Providence vs Sacramento — frequently asked

Is Providence cheaper than Sacramento?
Providence is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 5% below Sacramento's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Providence or Sacramento?
Sacramento has the higher median household income — $98,775 versus $82,870 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 19% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Providence or Sacramento?
A paycheck stretches further in Sacramento. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $92,599 there versus $81,426 in Providence.
Which has cheaper rent, Providence or Sacramento?
Providence has cheaper rent — a median of $1,396/mo versus $1,904/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).