State comparison
Rhode Island vs Vermont: which state is better to live in?
Rhode Island costs a median household about $1,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Vermont, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $5,590 a year against $6,574 in Vermont, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 114 against 111).
Rhode Island
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 3 categories
Vermont
High tax burden · COL index 111
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: Rhode Island vs Vermont
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. Vermont has a graduated income tax topping out at 8.75%, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,317 a year. Rhode Island wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.30% of home value a year in Rhode Island and 1.73% in Vermont (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,590 against $6,574, so Rhode Island has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.00% in Rhode Island and 6.22% in Vermont; Vermont is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $9,953 a year in Rhode Island, $11,282 in Vermont. Rhode Island is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Rhode Island's cost of living index is 114 and Vermont's is 111, where 100 is the national average; Vermont is about 3% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $430K in Rhode Island and $380K in Vermont (Zillow, 2024), a $50K gap in Vermont's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800 a month in Rhode Island and $1,600 in Vermont.
Home insurance averages $1,400 a year in Rhode Island and $900 in Vermont, so Vermont is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 237 incidents per 100,000 residents in Rhode Island and 167 in Vermont (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Vermont is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 42% lower. Property crime is 1,527 per 100,000 in Rhode Island against 1,390 in Vermont, again favoring Vermont.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.1 years in Rhode Island and 79.8 in Vermont (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.7-year edge for Vermont. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Rhode Island's health system 4th of 50 and Vermont's 5th, so Rhode Island scores better on care.
4.7% of Rhode Island residents have no health insurance against 3.8% in Vermont, which favors Vermont. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Rhode Island's K-12 schools 13th in the country and Vermont's 6th, 7 places apart in Vermont's favor. Vermont runs a school-choice voucher program; Rhode Island does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Rhode Island went to Harris by 17 points and Vermont went to Harris by 31 points.
Rhode Island has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of B; Vermont has permitless carry and a grade of B-, so Rhode Island regulates guns more tightly and Vermont 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 Rhode Island and $13.67 in Vermont.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Rhode Island (hurricane, nor-easter, flood) and low in Vermont (blizzard, flood, nor-easter), so Vermont is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 32 in Rhode Island and 27 in Vermont (under 50 is good), favoring Vermont.
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
3
Rhode Island
11
Vermont
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Rhode Island or Vermont better to live in?
Vermont wins more of the measures that decide a move. Rhode Island on taxes ($9,953 a year for a median household against $11,282); Vermont on everyday costs (index 111 against 114); Vermont on safety (167 violent crimes per 100,000 against 237); Vermont on schools (ranked 6th against 13th).
Which is cheaper, Rhode Island or Vermont?
Vermont is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 111 against 114. The median home is $430K in Rhode Island and $380K in Vermont (2024). On state and local taxes Rhode Island saves a median household about $1,300 a year.
Does Rhode Island or Vermont have lower taxes?
Rhode Island. A household earning $74,580 pays about $9,953 a year in Rhode Island ($2,797 income tax, $5,590 property tax on the median home and $1,566 in sales tax) and $11,282 in Vermont ($3,317 income tax, $6,574 property tax on the median home and $1,392 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Rhode Island or Vermont?
Vermont, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 237 per 100,000 residents in Rhode Island and 167 in Vermont; property crime is 1,527 against 1,390.
Which has better schools, Rhode Island or Vermont?
Vermont. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Rhode Island 13th of 50 for K-12 and Vermont 6th. Vermont also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Rhode Island or Vermont better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Rhode Island taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Vermont taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $5,590 a year in Rhode Island and $6,574 in Vermont.