Connecticut and Rhode Island at a glance
Moving between Connecticut and Rhode Island changes more than the scenery. On a $60,000 salary, Connecticut leaves $19,047 a year after taxes, rent, food, energy and gasoline; Rhode Island leaves $21,488.
Rhode Island comes out ahead by $2,441 a year ($203 a month). The calculation starts from the same gross pay in both states, subtracts federal tax, Social Security and Medicare, then each state's own income tax, and then the population-weighted cost of a one-bedroom rental, groceries, home energy and gasoline across 3,624,508 people in 9 counties in Connecticut and 1,101,801 people in 5 counties in Rhode Island.
Taxes: what each paycheck loses
Federal income tax ($5,072) and FICA ($4,590) on $60,000 are the same on both sides of the border. State income tax takes $2,550 in Connecticut and $1,650 in Rhode Island, which leaves take-home pay of $47,789 and $48,689.
At $100,000
At $100,000 take-home pay is $74,151 in Connecticut and $75,710 in Rhode Island, a difference of $1,559. The gap widens with income because graduated state brackets take a growing share.
Living costs
One-bedroom rent averages $1,670 a month in Connecticut and $1,528 in Rhode Island, so Rhode Island is $142 a month cheaper for housing. Food costs $3,436 a year in both, because the USDA Thrifty Food Plan is a national figure; home energy $3,704 and $3,886, and gasoline $1,559 and $1,546. Together the basics cost $28,742 a year in Connecticut and $27,200 in Rhode Island.
What the Census adds
Median household income is $95,781 in Connecticut and $87,796 in Rhode Island. Homeowners pay a median of $6,643 a year in property tax in Connecticut and $4,900 in Rhode Island. Commuters travel 26.5 minutes each way on average in Connecticut and 25.5 in Rhode Island.
Method
Taxes use the 2025 rules for a single filer with wage income only and the standard deduction. Housing and living costs are county figures from HUD (one-bedroom Fair Market Rent), the USDA Thrifty Food Plan and state energy prices from the Energy Information Administration, averaged across each state's counties and weighted by population, so large counties count more. Local income taxes are not included. Counties differ widely inside every state, so use the county pages for a specific place.