State comparison
Maryland vs Rhode Island: which state is better to live in?
Maryland costs a median household about $1,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Rhode Island, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $4,074 a year against $5,590 in Rhode Island.
Maryland
High tax burden · COL index 116
Wins 7 categories
Rhode Island
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Maryland vs Rhode Island
Maryland has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.75%, which works out to 4.7% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,490 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 0.97% of home value a year in Maryland and 1.30% in Rhode Island (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,074 against $5,590, so Maryland has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.00% in Maryland and 7.00% in Rhode Island; Maryland is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $8,906 a year in Maryland, $9,953 in Rhode Island. Maryland is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Maryland's cost of living index is 116 and Rhode Island's is 114, where 100 is the national average; Rhode Island is about 2% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $420K in Maryland and $430K in Rhode Island (Zillow, 2024), a $10K gap in Maryland's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,950 a month in Maryland and $1,800 in Rhode Island.
Home insurance averages $1,600 a year in Maryland and $1,400 in Rhode Island, so Rhode Island is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 468 incidents per 100,000 residents in Maryland and 237 in Rhode Island (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Rhode Island is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 97% lower. Property crime is 1,734 per 100,000 in Maryland against 1,527 in Rhode Island, again favoring Rhode Island.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.4 years in Maryland and 78.1 in Rhode Island (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.7-year edge for Rhode Island. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Maryland's health system 12th of 50 and Rhode Island's 4th, so Rhode Island scores better on care.
6.5% of Maryland 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 Maryland's K-12 schools 4th in the country and Rhode Island's 13th, 9 places apart in Maryland's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Maryland went to Harris by 24 points and Rhode Island went to Harris by 17 points.
Maryland 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 Maryland 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 $15.00 an hour in Maryland and $14.00 in Rhode Island.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Maryland (hurricane, flood) and moderate in Rhode Island (hurricane, nor-easter, flood). Annual average air quality index is 40 in Maryland and 32 in Rhode Island (under 50 is good), favoring Rhode Island.
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
7
Maryland
8
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 Maryland or Rhode Island better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Maryland on taxes ($8,906 a year for a median household against $9,953); Rhode Island on everyday costs (index 114 against 116); Rhode Island on safety (237 violent crimes per 100,000 against 468); Maryland on schools (ranked 4th against 13th).
Which is cheaper, Maryland or Rhode Island?
Rhode Island is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 116. The median home is $420K in Maryland and $430K in Rhode Island (2024). On state and local taxes Maryland saves a median household about $1,000 a year.
Does Maryland or Rhode Island have lower taxes?
Maryland. A household earning $74,580 pays about $8,906 a year in Maryland ($3,490 income tax, $4,074 property tax on the median home and $1,342 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, Maryland or Rhode Island?
Rhode Island, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 468 per 100,000 residents in Maryland and 237 in Rhode Island; property crime is 1,734 against 1,527.
Which has better schools, Maryland or Rhode Island?
Maryland. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Maryland 4th of 50 for K-12 and Rhode Island 13th.
Is Maryland or Rhode Island better for retirees?
Maryland is friendlier to retirees on paper. Maryland does not tax Social Security, partly 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 $4,074 a year in Maryland and $5,590 in Rhode Island.