New Bedford vs Providence
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $357,300 in New Bedford and $362,200 in Providence.
- Households earn more in Providence ($68,119 vs $56,981 median).
Side by side
| New Bedford, MA | Providence, RI | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 101,834 | 195,310 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.8% | +2.3% |
| People per square mile | 5,091 | 10,611 |
| Median age | 37.0 | 32.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $56,981 | $68,119 |
| Median home value | $357,300 | $362,200 |
| Home value to income | 6.3× | 5.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,137 | $1,408 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 101.8 | 101.8 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 103.9 | 103.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $76,300 | $76,300 |
| Homeowners | 40% | 41% |
| Top state income tax | 9% | 5.99% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 7% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.7 | 25.0 |
| Work from home | 5% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8.3% | 8.2% |
| Poverty rate | 20.6% | 20.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 39° / 21° | 38° / 22° |
| July high / low | 83° / 62° | 84° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 46 in | 48 in |
| Snowfall per year | 33 in | 37 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 7 | 12 |
| Nights below freezing | 123 | 109 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 89.9 | 93.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 70% | 70% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.7% | +4.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +51.9% | +51.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: New Bedford: May to September. Providence: May to October.
Full monthly tables: New Bedford weather by month and Providence weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $76,300 in New Bedford and $76,300 in Providence. Moving from New Bedford to Providence, you would need about $75,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between New Bedford and Providence
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from New Bedford and Providence.
Which would you pick?
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