State comparison
Rhode Island vs Washington: which state is better to live in?
Washington costs a median household about $3,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Rhode Island, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 117 against 114).
Rhode Island
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 8 categories
Washington
Moderate tax burden · COL index 117
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Rhode Island vs Washington
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. Washington has no state income tax. Washington wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.30% of home value a year in Rhode Island and 0.84% in Washington (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,590 against $4,788, so Washington has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.00% in Rhode Island and 9.38% in Washington; Rhode Island 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, $6,887 in Washington. Washington is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Rhode Island's cost of living index is 114 and Washington's is 117, where 100 is the national average; Rhode Island is about 3% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $430K in Rhode Island and $570K in Washington (Zillow, 2024), a $140K gap in Rhode Island's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800 a month in Rhode Island and $2,000 in Washington.
Home insurance averages $1,400 a year in Rhode Island and $900 in Washington, so Washington is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 237 incidents per 100,000 residents in Rhode Island and 347 in Washington (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Rhode Island is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 46% lower. Property crime is 1,527 per 100,000 in Rhode Island against 3,187 in Washington, again favoring Rhode Island.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.1 years in Rhode Island and 79.3 in Washington (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.2-year edge for Washington. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Rhode Island's health system 4th of 50 and Washington's 10th, so Rhode Island scores better on care.
4.7% of Rhode Island residents have no health insurance against 6.5% in Washington, which favors Rhode Island. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Rhode Island's K-12 schools 13th in the country and Washington's 7th, 6 places apart in Washington's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Rhode Island went to Harris by 17 points and Washington went to Harris by 16 points.
Rhode Island has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of B; Washington has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so Washington 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 Rhode Island and $16.28 in Washington.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Rhode Island (hurricane, nor-easter, flood) and high in Washington (wildfire, earthquake, flood), so Rhode Island is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 32 in Rhode Island and 40 in Washington (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
8
Rhode Island
8
Washington
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Rhode Island or Washington better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Washington on taxes ($6,887 a year for a median household against $9,953); Rhode Island on everyday costs (index 114 against 117); Rhode Island on safety (237 violent crimes per 100,000 against 347); Washington on schools (ranked 7th against 13th).
Which is cheaper, Rhode Island or Washington?
Rhode Island is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 117. The median home is $430K in Rhode Island and $570K in Washington (2024). On state and local taxes Washington saves a median household about $3,100 a year.
Does Rhode Island or Washington have lower taxes?
Washington. 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 $6,887 in Washington ($0 income tax, $4,788 property tax on the median home and $2,099 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Rhode Island or Washington?
Rhode Island, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 237 per 100,000 residents in Rhode Island and 347 in Washington; property crime is 1,527 against 3,187.
Which has better schools, Rhode Island or Washington?
Washington. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Rhode Island 13th of 50 for K-12 and Washington 7th.
Is Rhode Island or Washington better for retirees?
Washington is friendlier to retirees on paper. Rhode Island taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Washington does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $5,590 a year in Rhode Island and $4,788 in Washington.