Price History
Median Home Price
Median Rent
Stored observations from 2016-07-31 to 2026-06-29. Source: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI. Missing rents are shown as gaps.
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Purchase
Monthly Cash Flow
* Based on metro-wide median values. 35% expenses include taxes, insurance, maintenance, vacancy, and property management. Individual counties and properties vary significantly.
Score Breakdown
Based on 4.94% rent-to-price ratio. Higher ratios indicate stronger cash flow potential.
Based on 3.0% YoY price growth. Moderate growth (3-8%) scores highest.
Based on 0.0% population growth. Growing areas indicate economic stability.
Based on price relative to estimated local incomes.
Scores are calculated using real Zillow metro-level home value and rent data, Census population data, and economic indicators. The weighted average produces the overall investment score. This metro score represents area-wide averages; individual counties may vary significantly.
Investment Outlook
Strengths
- +Low unemployment (0.0%)
Challenges
- -Below-average rent-to-price ratio (4.94%)
- -Negative cash flow at typical financing (-$1,346/mo)
- -Negative leverage (cap rate 3.2% < mortgage rate 6.9%)
- -High price-to-income ratio makes financing challenging
Counties in Providence, RI
Section 8 in Providence, RI: payment standards by ZIP, PHA waitlist status, and voucher counts are on VoucherMatch, the same HUD dataset with the tenant demand side attached.
Compare to Similar Metros
| Metro Area | Verdict | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batesville, AR Batesville, AR | 71 | $166,034 | $881 | 6.37% | Buy | View | |
Somerset, PA Somerset, PA | 71 | $177,812 | $909 | 6.14% | Buy | View | |
Richmond, IN Richmond, IN | 71 | $173,900 | $870 | 6.01% | Buy | View | |
Marinette, WI Marinette, WI | 71 | $207,601 | $1,016 | 5.87% | Buy | View | |
Bogalusa, LA Bogalusa, LA | 71 | $137,476 | Est. | Buy | View | ||
Current Providence, RI | 51 | $524,867 | $2,163 | 4.94% | Hold |
Rent vs buy in this metro
The Bottom Line
The Providence, RI metro area scores 51/100, ranking #707 of 894 US metros (top 79%). The 4.94% rent-to-price ratio may require targeting specific counties or creative strategies for positive cash flow. Current metro-wide averages make traditional buy-and-hold investing challenging. Consider house hacking, value-add strategies, or drilling down to specific counties.