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CityLedger

Providence vs San Jose

Metro-area medians — Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metro Area vs San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

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

Providence is about 8% cheaper to live in, while San Jose households earn about 99% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in San Jose.

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
San Jose, CA
$58,296
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$52,794
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Providence leaves you about $5,090/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
San Jose
Livability (CityLedger)
52/100
82/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
101.8
110.4
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$81,426
$149,245
Median household income
$82,870
$164,801
Median rent
$1,396/mo
$2,827/mo
Median home value
$471,000
$1,528,500
Unemployment
4.6%
5.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher
36.5%
56.3%
Average commute
27.9 min
27.5 min
Air quality (median AQI)
42
51
Avg temperature
52°F
58°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 San Jose for

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

Providence vs San Jose — frequently asked

Is Providence cheaper than San Jose?
Providence is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 8% below San Jose's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Providence or San Jose?
San Jose has the higher median household income — $164,801 versus $82,870 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 99% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Providence or San Jose?
A paycheck stretches further in San Jose. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $149,245 there versus $81,426 in Providence.
Which has cheaper rent, Providence or San Jose?
Providence has cheaper rent — a median of $1,396/mo versus $2,827/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).