State comparison
Massachusetts vs Rhode Island: which state is better to live in?
Rhode Island costs a median household about $1,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Massachusetts, mostly because its income tax takes 3.8% of a median income against 5.0% in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts
High tax burden · COL index 148
Wins 8 categories
Rhode Island
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Massachusetts vs Rhode Island
Massachusetts has a graduated income tax topping out at 9%, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,729 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 $2,861 a year. Rhode Island wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.04% of home value a year in Massachusetts and 1.30% in Rhode Island (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $6,032 against $5,590, so Massachusetts has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.25% in Massachusetts and 7.00% in Rhode Island; Massachusetts is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $11,159 a year in Massachusetts, $10,017 in Rhode Island. Rhode Island is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Massachusetts's cost of living index is 148 and Rhode Island's is 114, where 100 is the national average; Rhode Island is about 30% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $580K in Massachusetts and $430K in Rhode Island (Zillow, 2024), a $150K gap in Rhode Island's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,400 a month in Massachusetts and $1,800 in Rhode Island.
Home insurance averages $1,500 a year in Massachusetts and $1,400 in Rhode Island, so Rhode Island is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 338 incidents per 100,000 residents in Massachusetts and 237 in Rhode Island (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Rhode Island is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 43% lower. Property crime is 1,283 per 100,000 in Massachusetts against 1,527 in Rhode Island, again favoring Massachusetts.
Health
Life expectancy is 80 years in Massachusetts and 78.1 in Rhode Island (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.9-year edge for Massachusetts. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Massachusetts's health system 1st of 50 and Rhode Island's 4th, so Massachusetts scores better on care.
3.1% of Massachusetts residents have no health insurance against 4.7% in Rhode Island, which favors Massachusetts. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Massachusetts's K-12 schools 1st in the country and Rhode Island's 13th, 12 places apart in Massachusetts's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Massachusetts went to Harris by 28 points and Rhode Island went to Harris by 17 points.
Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts and $14.00 in Rhode Island.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Massachusetts (hurricane, blizzard, nor-easter) and moderate in Rhode Island (hurricane, nor-easter, flood). Annual average air quality index is 30 in Massachusetts and 32 in Rhode Island (under 50 is good), favoring Massachusetts.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
8
Massachusetts
7
Rhode Island
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Massachusetts or Rhode Island better to live in?
Rhode Island wins more of the measures that decide a move. Rhode Island on taxes ($10,017 a year for a median household against $11,159); Rhode Island on everyday costs (index 114 against 148); Rhode Island on safety (237 violent crimes per 100,000 against 338); Massachusetts on schools (ranked 1st against 13th).
Which is cheaper, Massachusetts or Rhode Island?
Rhode Island is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 148. The median home is $580K in Massachusetts and $430K in Rhode Island (2024). On state and local taxes Rhode Island saves a median household about $1,100 a year.
Does Massachusetts or Rhode Island have lower taxes?
Rhode Island. A household earning $74,580 pays about $11,159 a year in Massachusetts ($3,729 income tax, $6,032 property tax on the median home and $1,398 in sales tax) and $10,017 in Rhode Island ($2,861 income tax, $5,590 property tax on the median home and $1,566 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Massachusetts or Rhode Island?
Rhode Island, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 338 per 100,000 residents in Massachusetts and 237 in Rhode Island; property crime is 1,283 against 1,527.
Which has better schools, Massachusetts or Rhode Island?
Massachusetts. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Massachusetts 1st of 50 for K-12 and Rhode Island 13th.
Is Massachusetts or Rhode Island better for retirees?
Massachusetts is friendlier to retirees on paper. Massachusetts 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 $6,032 a year in Massachusetts and $5,590 in Rhode Island.