Moving from Texas to Rhode Island
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 Texas and Rhode Island, side by side.
Moving to Rhode Island costs about
+$380/mo
more than Texas each month, renting
Worth knowing
Homes cost 1.4x more in Rhode Island, but the tax rate is lower
Rhode Island taxes property at 1.21% against 1.49% in Texas. Despite the far higher prices, the yearly bill only rises to about $4,891 from $4,229.
Texas vs Rhode Island at a glance
| Texas | Rhode Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $283,800 | $404,200 |
| Median rent | $1,403/mo | $1,342/mo |
| State income tax | No state income tax | Up to 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 1.49% | 1.21% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 98 | 97 |
| Utilities | 88 | 147 |
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 | TX | RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,403 | $1,342 | -$61 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $0 | $199 | +$199 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $91 | $111 | +$19 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,798 | $1,781 | -$17 |
| Utilities | $357 | $599 | +$241 |
| Total | +$380 | ||
What the move itself costs
$3,500 to $7,500
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $950 to $1,350, against roughly $650 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 4-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Dallas is not Texas-average and Providence is not Rhode Island-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.