State comparison
Hawaii vs Rhode Island: which state is better to live in?
Hawaii costs a median household about $2,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Rhode Island, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,268 a year against $5,590 in Rhode Island, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 196 against 114).
Hawaii
Moderate tax burden · COL index 196
Wins 6 categories
Rhode Island
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Hawaii vs Rhode Island
Hawaii has a graduated income tax topping out at 11%, which works out to 6.1% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,559 a year. Rhode Island has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.99%, which works out to 3.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,797 a year. Rhode Island wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.27% of home value a year in Hawaii and 1.30% in Rhode Island (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,268 against $5,590, so Hawaii has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 4.44% in Hawaii and 7.00% in Rhode Island; Hawaii is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,821 a year in Hawaii, $9,953 in Rhode Island. Hawaii is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Hawaii's cost of living index is 196 and Rhode Island's is 114, where 100 is the national average; Rhode Island is about 72% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $840K in Hawaii and $430K in Rhode Island (Zillow, 2024), a $410K gap in Rhode Island's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,500 a month in Hawaii and $1,800 in Rhode Island.
Home insurance averages $500 a year in Hawaii and $1,400 in Rhode Island, so Hawaii is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 281 incidents per 100,000 residents in Hawaii and 237 in Rhode Island (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Rhode Island is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 19% lower. Property crime is 2,480 per 100,000 in Hawaii against 1,527 in Rhode Island, again favoring Rhode Island.
Health
Life expectancy is 80.7 years in Hawaii and 78.1 in Rhode Island (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.6-year edge for Hawaii. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Hawaii's health system 11th of 50 and Rhode Island's 4th, so Rhode Island scores better on care.
4.8% of Hawaii residents have no health insurance against 4.7% in Rhode Island, which favors Rhode Island. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Hawaii's K-12 schools 25th in the country and Rhode Island's 13th, 12 places apart in Rhode Island's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Hawaii went to Harris by 26 points and Rhode Island went to Harris by 17 points.
Hawaii has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Rhode Island has may-issue carry permits and a grade of B, so Hawaii regulates guns more tightly and Rhode Island is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.00 an hour in Hawaii and $14.00 in Rhode Island.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Hawaii (hurricane, tsunami, volcano) and moderate in Rhode Island (hurricane, nor-easter, flood). Annual average air quality index is 18 in Hawaii and 32 in Rhode Island (under 50 is good), favoring Hawaii.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
6
Hawaii
10
Rhode Island
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Hawaii or Rhode Island better to live in?
Rhode Island wins more of the measures that decide a move. Hawaii on taxes ($7,821 a year for a median household against $9,953); Rhode Island on everyday costs (index 114 against 196); Rhode Island on safety (237 violent crimes per 100,000 against 281); Rhode Island on schools (ranked 13th against 25th).
Which is cheaper, Hawaii or Rhode Island?
Rhode Island is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 196. The median home is $840K in Hawaii and $430K in Rhode Island (2024). On state and local taxes Hawaii saves a median household about $2,100 a year.
Does Hawaii or Rhode Island have lower taxes?
Hawaii. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,821 a year in Hawaii ($4,559 income tax, $2,268 property tax on the median home and $993 in sales tax) and $9,953 in Rhode Island ($2,797 income tax, $5,590 property tax on the median home and $1,566 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Hawaii or Rhode Island?
Rhode Island, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 281 per 100,000 residents in Hawaii and 237 in Rhode Island; property crime is 2,480 against 1,527.
Which has better schools, Hawaii or Rhode Island?
Rhode Island. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Hawaii 25th of 50 for K-12 and Rhode Island 13th.
Is Hawaii or Rhode Island better for retirees?
Hawaii is friendlier to retirees on paper. Hawaii does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Rhode Island taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,268 a year in Hawaii and $5,590 in Rhode Island.