Rhode Island vs Florida
Your $100,000 in Rhode Island is worth
$97,752
at national prices · RPP 102.3BEA RPP SARPPSource: BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 vintage · released February 2026 · Official API
The same income in Florida is worth
$96,712
at national prices · RPP 103.4BEA RPP SARPPSource: BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 vintage · released February 2026 · Official API
Your income goes −$1,040 less far in Florida (−1.1% purchasing power).
Show the math
Where the difference comes from
Price level by component, 100 = US average. Higher means more expensive.
| Component | Rhode Island | Florida | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 102.3 | 103.4 | +1.1% |
| Housing rents | 105.6 | 122.1 | +15.6% |
| Goods | 97.2 | 98.1 | +0.9% |
| Utilities | 146.7 | 90.1 | −38.6% |
| Other services | 102.8 | 101.3 | −1.5% |
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 2026 · Official API
Housing reality check
Typical rent and home price in each state — tangible context beyond the index.
US Census ACS 5-Year Estimates · ACS5 · 2024 · rel. December 2025 · Official API
Tax at a glance
Hand-curated, tax year 2026 · verified 2026-07-20
| Tax | Rhode Island | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax (top rate) | 5.99% | None |
| Sales tax (combined avg) | 7.00% | 6.98% |
Tax Foundation (income & sales) · Tax · 2026 · rel. tax year 2026 · Manually maintained · verified 2026-07-20
Rhode Island vs Florida: the read
The bottom line
Move a $100,000 income from Rhode Island to Florida and its purchasing power changes from $97,752 to $96,712 in national-average terms — a loss of $1,040. Rhode Island is the cheaper of the two, running at 102.3 on the price index versus 103.4.
Where the difference comes from
The widest gap is utilities: Rhode Island sits at 146.7 and Florida at 90.1 (100 = national). Florida has the edge there, and it's the main reason the two states diverge.
Housing
Median rent runs $1,342 in Rhode Island against $1,669 in Florida, and the typical home $404,200 versus $359,000. Florida is the more affordable place to buy.
Taxes
On tax, Rhode Island has 5.99% top income tax and a combined sales tax of 7.00%; Florida has no wage income tax and 6.98%. That income-tax difference can outweigh a chunk of the cost-of-living gap for higher earners.
Full profiles: Rhode Island ·Florida. Every figure here is sourced on the pages linked above.
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