Moving from Rhode Island to Hawaii
Everyone compares rent and groceries. Almost nobody compares the two numbers that actually decide whether a move works: state income tax and property tax. Here is Rhode Island and Hawaii, side by side.
Moving to Hawaii costs about
+$1,210/mo
more than Rhode Island each month, renting
Worth knowing
Homes cost 2.1x more in Hawaii, but the tax rate is lower
Hawaii taxes property at 0.27% against 1.21% in Rhode Island. Despite the far higher prices, you would actually pay LESS property tax there: about $2,266 a year against $4,891.
Rhode Island vs Hawaii at a glance
| Rhode Island | Hawaii | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $404,200 | $839,100 |
| Median rent | $1,342/mo | $1,971/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 5.99% | Up to 11.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.21% | 0.27% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 97 | 112 |
| Utilities | 147 | 190 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
What changes each month
| Monthly | RI | HI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent)Biggest factor | $1,342 | $1,971 | +$629 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $199 | $379 | +$181 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $111 | $70 | -$41 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,781 | $2,045 | +$264 |
| Utilities | $599 | $777 | +$178 |
| Total | +$1,210 | ||
What the move itself costs
$7,200 to $13,900
A move involving Hawaii goes by sea rather than road, so the range is wider and rougher.
Shipping one car adds about $1,350 to $2,250.
These are statewide figures. Providence is not Rhode Island-average and Honolulu is not Hawaii-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.