Moving from Wyoming to Rhode Island
Moving to Rhode Island on the same salary cuts your real buying power by 13.8%; you'd need about $89,300 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): $998/month in Wyoming 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: $89,300
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $89,300 in Rhode Island to match $75,000 in Wyoming ($14,300 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 $75,000 | Wyoming | Rhode Island |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $7,670 | $7,670 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $5,738 | $5,738 |
| State income tax | $0 | $2,196 |
| State payroll programs (UI, disability, paid leave, transit) | $0 | $825 |
| Take-home pay | $61,593 | $58,572 |
Key facts: Wyoming to Rhode Island
- Median rent
- $998 → $1,418/mo
- Median home value
- $339,500 → $455,700
- Price level (U.S. = 100)
- 92.7 → 102.3
- Road distance
- ≈ 2,110 miles
- Natural hazard risk (FEMA)
- Midrange county-score mean → High county-score mean
What changes when you move to Rhode Island
- Wyoming has no state income tax on wages; Rhode Island does. At $75,000 expect about $2,196 a year in Rhode Island income tax.
- BEA's housing rents price index is 49% higher in Rhode Island. Median rent goes from $998 to $1,418 a month and the median home value from $339,500 to $455,700.
- Homeowners pay more property tax: the median bill is $4,886 in Rhode Island vs $1,947 in Wyoming.
- The average home electric bill is $166 a month in Rhode Island vs $112 in Wyoming (EIA 2025), about $648 a year more.
Cost to move from Wyoming to Rhode Island
Moving cost: $1,330–$17,140
Moving about 2,110 miles from Wyoming to Rhode Island costs roughly $1,330 – $17,140, 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. | $1,330 – $6,350 |
| Moving container You pack and load; the company drives the container. | $2,220 – $6,270 |
| Full-service movers Loading, transport and unloading. Packing, storage and other extra services may cost more; confirm the written estimate. | $3,520 – $17,140 |
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 211 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 Wyoming to Rhode Island
Car shipping: $1,300–$1,880
Shipping a sedan from Wyoming to Rhode Island on an open carrier costs about $1,300–$1,880, typically 5–10 days in transit over about 2,110 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.
Wyoming vs Rhode Island take-home pay at every salary
| Salary | Equal salary in RI | Take-home change | Take-home in WY | Take-home in RI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $58,200 | -$1,808 | $42,355 | $40,547 |
| $75,000 | $89,300 | -$3,021 | $61,593 | $58,572 |
| $100,000 | $119,000 | -$4,248 | $79,180 | $74,932 |
| $150,000 | $178,900 | -$6,623 | $113,791 | $107,168 |
| $250,000 | $305,100 | -$11,957 | $183,182 | $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: Wyoming vs Rhode Island
| Measure | Wyoming | Rhode Island |
|---|---|---|
| Overall price level (U.S. = 100) | 92.7 | 102.3 |
| Housing rents price index | 71.1 | 105.6 |
| Utilities price index | 78.4 | 146.7 |
| Goods price index | 95.4 | 97.2 |
| Median rent (monthly) | $998 | $1,418 |
| Median home value | $339,500 | $455,700 |
| Median property tax (yearly) | $1,947 | $4,886 |
| Electricity (residential) | 15.24¢/kWh | 29.23¢/kWh |
| State sales tax rate | 4% | 7% |
| Median household income | $75,532 | $83,504 |
Renting and buying: Wyoming vs Rhode Island
| Measure | Wyoming | Rhode Island |
|---|---|---|
| Income to rent the median home (30% rule) | $39,920 | $56,720 |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,153 | $3,040 |
| Income needed to buy the median home | $92,251 | $130,277 |
| Homeowners insurance (yearly median, homes with a mortgage) | $1,672 | $1,778 |
| Infant child care (center, yearly) | $13,120 | $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: Wyoming vs Rhode Island
On a $75,000 salary, taxes, gross rent including basic utilities, one car and health insurance for one adult come to $41,530 a year in Wyoming and $43,035 in Rhode Island if you rent: $1,505 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 $56,723 and $64,484 ($7,761 more).
Your yearly budget, before vs after
| Yearly cost | WY | RI | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income and payroll taxes on $75,000, single filer | $13,408 | $16,428 | +$3,020 |
| Car insurance one car, state average | $948 | $1,540 | +$592 |
| Gas 12,000 miles at 25 mpg | $2,118 | $1,979 | -$139 |
| Health insurance one adult, age 40, own plan before subsidies | $13,080 | $6,072 | -$7,008 |
| If you rent | |||
| Rent and basic utilities ACS median gross rent, 12 months | $11,976 | $17,016 | +$5,040 |
| Total if you rent | $41,530 | $43,035 | +$1,505 |
| If you buy the median home (20% down) | |||
| Mortgage payment median home, 20% down, 7.24% | $22,211 | $29,814 | +$7,603 |
| Property tax median home | $1,947 | $4,886 | +$2,939 |
| Homeowners insurance state median, with a mortgage | $1,672 | $1,778 | +$106 |
| Electricity state average bill | $1,339 | $1,987 | +$648 |
| Total if you buy | $56,723 | $64,484 | +$7,761 |
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 $13,120 a year in Wyoming 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming?
A $75,000 salary in Wyoming works out to about $89,300 in Rhode Island once 2026 federal and state taxes and BEA regional price levels are counted. At $100,000 it is about $119,000.
Will I pay less tax in Rhode Island than in Wyoming?
No, about $3,021 more a year in income and payroll taxes on a $75,000 salary (17.9% of pay in Wyoming vs 21.9% in Rhode Island). Property and sales taxes are shown separately.
How much does it cost to move from Wyoming to Rhode Island?
For a 2–3 bedroom home over about 2,110 miles, expect roughly $1,330–$6,350 with a rental truck, $2,220–$6,270 with a moving container, or $3,520–$17,140 with full-service movers.
Is Rhode Island cheaper than Wyoming?
Overall prices in Rhode Island are 10.4% higher than Wyoming (BEA Regional Price Parities 2024). Median rent is $1,418 vs $998 a month.
Compare other moves
Where people from Wyoming actually move
- WY to Colorado 1,874 households
- WY to Utah 958 households
- WY to Texas 827 households
- WY to Montana 700 households
- WY to Idaho 645 households
- WY to Arizona 619 households
- WY to California 609 households
- WY to Florida 501 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.