Moving from North Dakota to Rhode Island
Moving to Rhode Island on the same salary cuts your real buying power by 17.0%; you'd need about $99,400 to break even. Change the salary below to see your own numbers.
The salary comparison above is for W-2 earnings. Your retirement income and budget results appear in the calculator below.
State-median gross rent (2024 ACS): $980/month in North Dakota and $1,418/month in Rhode Island. These are state benchmarks, not current rental quotes or your own housing costs. Compare your salary offer, housing and moving-cost recovery using the personal-budget option in the calculator.
Equal salary in RI: $99,400
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $99,400 in Rhode Island to match $80,000 in North Dakota ($19,400 more), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary, standard deduction.
The renter figure uses ACS gross rent, which includes tenant-paid electricity, gas, water/sewer and fuels. The buyer figure adds electricity separately to mortgage, property tax and insurance. Food, transport, healthcare, other spending and one-time moving costs are excluded. These are selected-cost changes, not total savings. State medians may differ from your neighborhood and current quotes.
| Tax on $80,000 | North Dakota | Rhode Island |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $8,770 | $8,770 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $6,120 | $6,120 |
| State income tax | $279 | $2,383 |
| State payroll programs (UI, disability, paid leave, transit) | $0 | $880 |
| Take-home pay | $64,831 | $61,847 |
Key facts: North Dakota to Rhode Island
- Median rent
- $980 → $1,418/mo
- Median home value
- $266,100 → $455,700
- Price level (U.S. = 100)
- 89.0 → 102.3
- Road distance
- ≈ 1,660 miles
- Natural hazard risk (FEMA)
- Midrange county-score mean → High county-score mean
What changes when you move to Rhode Island
- Your state taxes rise by about $2,984 a year on the same $80,000 salary.
- BEA's housing rents price index is 48% higher in Rhode Island. Median rent goes from $980 to $1,418 a month and the median home value from $266,100 to $455,700.
- Homeowners pay more property tax: the median bill is $4,886 in Rhode Island vs $2,550 in North Dakota.
- The average home electric bill is $166 a month in Rhode Island vs $126 in North Dakota (EIA 2025), about $471 a year more.
Who moves from North Dakota to Rhode Island
In the latest IRS migration data (2022–2023), 10 households (11 people) filed their taxes in Rhode Island after filing in North Dakota the year before. That makes Rhode Island the #49 destination for people leaving North Dakota. These households reported an average adjusted gross income of $46,900. Going the other way, 18 households moved from Rhode Island to North Dakota, a net loss of 8 households for Rhode Island.
Five-year trend
Moves from North Dakota to Rhode Island peaked in 2021–22 at 15 households, then fell 33% by 2022–23. That is still down 9% from 2019–20.
Source: IRS SOI state-to-state migration files, tax years 2018–19 to 2022–23.
Cost to move from North Dakota to Rhode Island
Moving cost: $1,090–$14,250
Moving about 1,660 miles from North Dakota to Rhode Island costs roughly $1,090 – $14,250, depending on how much of the work you hire out.
Distance between the states' population centers by road (estimate).
| Moving method | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Rental truck (DIY) Truck rental, taxes and fees. Add fuel, damage coverage, lodging and your time. | $1,090 – $4,990 |
| Moving container You pack and load; the company drives the container. | $1,950 – $5,270 |
| Full-service movers Loading, transport and unloading. Packing, storage and other extra services may cost more; confirm the written estimate. | $3,120 – $14,250 |
These ranges are based on summer (peak-season) quotes. A move between October and April usually costs less: peak prices run 20–30% higher.
A rental truck also burns about 166 gallons of fuel over this distance. One-way truck rental prices depend on direction: a truck headed where many people are moving often costs more than the same trip in reverse.
Ranges combine 198 published quote ranges on 22 interstate routes (moveBuddha, retrieved 2026-09-24) with 47 independent published prices from U-Pack, HireAHelper and Move.org, which raised the top of several ranges. They are not quotes; get at least three written estimates.
Alaska and Hawaii ranges come from published carrier rates and moving quotes, dated in each row (Matson's household-goods rates, U-Pack, Royal Hawaiian Movers). See how we estimate.
Shipping a car from North Dakota to Rhode Island
Car shipping: $1,130–$1,650
Shipping a sedan from North Dakota to Rhode Island on an open carrier costs about $1,130–$1,650, typically 5–10 days in transit over about 1,660 miles.
Modeled from 32 published 2026 route prices (SGT Auto Transport 'Ship a Car to Another State' sample routes, SGT Auto Transport cost calculator sample routes) plus published mainland-to-Hawaii and mainland-to-Alaska prices. Reverse ocean routes reuse those inbound prices as a proxy, not a separately sourced price for that direction. The 25% SUV and 35% enclosed-carrier uplifts are model assumptions; ocean carrier packages and vehicle charges can differ. Not a quote.
North Dakota vs Rhode Island take-home pay at every salary
| Salary | Equal salary in RI | Take-home change | Take-home in ND | Take-home in RI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $60,800 | -$1,808 | $42,355 | $40,547 |
| $75,000 | $93,300 | -$2,839 | $61,411 | $58,572 |
| $100,000 | $123,400 | -$3,579 | $78,511 | $74,932 |
| $150,000 | $184,200 | -$4,979 | $112,147 | $107,168 |
| $250,000 | $312,700 | -$8,363 | $179,588 | $171,225 |
Single filer, 2026 tax rules, standard deduction. "Equal salary" keeps the same after-tax buying power.
At higher incomes, especially for homeowners, itemizing state and local taxes (deductible up to $40,400 in 2026) can lower your federal tax once you live in Rhode Island, which narrows the gap shown.
Cost of living: North Dakota vs Rhode Island
| Measure | North Dakota | Rhode Island |
|---|---|---|
| Overall price level (U.S. = 100) | 89.0 | 102.3 |
| Housing rents price index | 71.4 | 105.6 |
| Utilities price index | 73.7 | 146.7 |
| Goods price index | 95.7 | 97.2 |
| Median rent (monthly) | $980 | $1,418 |
| Median home value | $266,100 | $455,700 |
| Median property tax (yearly) | $2,550 | $4,886 |
| Electricity (residential) | 14.12¢/kWh | 29.23¢/kWh |
| State sales tax rate | 5% | 7% |
| Median household income | $77,871 | $83,504 |
Renting and buying: North Dakota vs Rhode Island
| Measure | North Dakota | Rhode Island |
|---|---|---|
| Income to rent the median home (30% rule) | $39,200 | $56,720 |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $1,792 | $3,040 |
| Income needed to buy the median home | $76,783 | $130,277 |
| Homeowners insurance (yearly median, homes with a mortgage) | $1,540 | $1,778 |
| Infant child care (center, yearly) | $12,281 | $18,972 |
Mortgage at the Freddie Mac 30-year average with 20% down, plus the median property tax and the median homeowners insurance that owners with a mortgage paid in 2024 (Census ACS). Premiums have risen in most states since then, so get quotes. See buying a home in Rhode Island for other down payments.
Your yearly budget: North Dakota vs Rhode Island
On an $80,000 salary, taxes, gross rent including basic utilities, one car and health insurance for one adult come to $36,535 a year in North Dakota and $44,760 in Rhode Island if you rent: $8,225 more after the move. If you buy the median home, those selected costs use mortgage, property tax, homeowners insurance and electricity instead of gross rent; they come to $47,791 and $66,209 ($18,418 more).
Your yearly budget, before vs after
| Yearly cost | ND | RI | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income and payroll taxes on $80,000, single filer | $15,169 | $18,153 | +$2,984 |
| Car insurance one car, state average | $808 | $1,540 | +$732 |
| Gas 12,000 miles at 25 mpg | $1,958 | $1,979 | +$21 |
| Health insurance one adult, age 40, own plan before subsidies | $6,840 | $6,072 | -$768 |
| If you rent | |||
| Rent and basic utilities ACS median gross rent, 12 months | $11,760 | $17,016 | +$5,256 |
| Total if you rent | $36,535 | $44,760 | +$8,225 |
| If you buy the median home (20% down) | |||
| Mortgage payment median home, 20% down, 7.24% | $17,409 | $29,814 | +$12,405 |
| Property tax median home | $2,550 | $4,886 | +$2,336 |
| Homeowners insurance state median, with a mortgage | $1,540 | $1,778 | +$238 |
| Electricity state average bill | $1,517 | $1,987 | +$470 |
| Total if you buy | $47,791 | $66,209 | +$18,418 |
Taxes: 2026 federal and state rules, standard deduction. Rent, home value and property tax: Census ACS 2024 state medians. Gross rent includes tenant-paid electricity, gas, water/sewer and fuels; those basic utilities are not added again. Mortgage: Freddie Mac 30-year average (7.24%, week of October 29, 2026).
State figures: EIA 2025 average residential power bill (buyers only), NAIC 2023 auto insurance (average per car), Census ACS 2024 homeowners insurance (median for owners with a mortgage; premiums have risen since), AAA regular gas on October 29, 2026, and the KFF 2026 benchmark silver Marketplace premium. Job-based health coverage usually costs you less, and in 2026 incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level can get a premium tax credit.
Not included: sales tax (combined state and local rates are not in our data yet), food, car payments and other spending.
Child care is not in the totals. Full-time center care for one infant averages $12,281 a year in North Dakota and $18,972 in Rhode Island (Child Care Aware of America, 2025 (2024 fallback for Colorado, Washington, DC and South Carolina) state averages).
Cost of living in Rhode Island cities: Providence.
After you arrive in Rhode Island
- Rhode Island new resident checklist: driver license and vehicle registration deadlines.
- Taxes the year you move: part-year returns in North Dakota and Rhode Island.
- How Rhode Island taxes retirement income.
Frequently asked questions
How much salary do I need in Rhode Island to live like I do in North Dakota?
An $80,000 salary in North Dakota works out to about $99,400 in Rhode Island once 2026 federal and state taxes and BEA regional price levels are counted. At $100,000 it is about $123,400.
Will I pay less tax in Rhode Island than in North Dakota?
No, about $2,984 more a year in income and payroll taxes on an $80,000 salary (19.0% of pay in North Dakota vs 22.7% in Rhode Island). Property and sales taxes are shown separately.
How much does it cost to move from North Dakota to Rhode Island?
For a 2–3 bedroom home over about 1,660 miles, expect roughly $1,090–$4,990 with a rental truck, $1,950–$5,270 with a moving container, or $3,120–$14,250 with full-service movers.
Are more people moving from North Dakota to Rhode Island?
Moves from North Dakota to Rhode Island peaked in 2021–22 at 15 households, then fell 33% by 2022–23. That is still down 9% from 2019–20.
How many people move from North Dakota to Rhode Island?
IRS migration data for 2022–2023 show 10 households (11 people) moved from North Dakota to Rhode Island, making Rhode Island the #49 destination for people leaving North Dakota. 18 households moved the other way.
Is Rhode Island cheaper than North Dakota?
Overall prices in Rhode Island are 14.9% higher than North Dakota (BEA Regional Price Parities 2024). Median rent is $1,418 vs $980 a month.
Compare other moves
Where people from North Dakota actually move
- ND to Minnesota 4,007 households
- ND to Texas 920 households
- ND to Arizona 680 households
- ND to South Dakota 676 households
- ND to Florida 596 households
- ND to Colorado 538 households
- ND to Montana 501 households
- ND to California 492 households
State-agency links identify the responsible tax office; they do not verify every modeled rule. Use forms and guidance for the year you are filing.