What's a healthy ratio in Rhode Island?

Under 3.0 is considered affordable; 3.0-4.0 moderate; 4.0-5.0 seriously unaffordable; over 5.0 severely unaffordable.

Does this account for interest rates?

No, price-to-income is rate-agnostic so it stays comparable across cycles.

What if my income is higher?

Your personal ratio matters more than the market median. Use it as a relative comparison.

Buyer authority RI

Most affordable cities for home buyers in Rhode Island.

Affordability = how many years of household income buys the median home. This ranks Rhode Island cities by price-to-income ratio (lower = more affordable).

Last updated September 2026

Rhode Island ranking

32 cities ranked. Click any row for the matching local page.

#	City	Price-to-income ratio	Score
1	Providence	7.2x income	14	View →
2	Central Falls	7.1x income	15	View →
3	Warwick	6.7x income	22	View →
4	Pawtucket	6.7x income	22	View →
5	Cranston	6.7x income	22	View →
6	Woonsocket	6.7x income	22	View →
7	Coventry	6.7x income	22	View →
8	West Warwick	6.7x income	22	View →
9	Johnston	6.7x income	22	View →
10	Cumberland	6.6x income	23	View →
11	Newport	6.1x income	32	View →
12	Bristol	6.1x income	32	View →
13	East Providence	6.1x income	32	View →
14	Westerly	6.1x income	32	View →
15	Riverside	6.1x income	32	View →
16	Middletown	6.1x income	32	View →
17	North Providence	6.1x income	32	View →
18	Tiverton	6.1x income	32	View →
19	Warren	6.1x income	32	View →
20	Rumford	6.1x income	32	View →
21	Charlestown	6.1x income	32	View →
22	Smithfield	5.9x income	35	View →
23	North Smithfield	5.9x income	35	View →
24	North Scituate	5.9x income	35	View →
25	Narragansett	5.8x income	36	View →
26	North Kingstown	5.7x income	38	View →
27	Kingston	5.7x income	38	View →
28	Lincoln	5.6x income	39	View →
29	Wakefield	5.6x income	40	View →
30	Portsmouth	5.4x income	44	View →
31	East Greenwich	4.8x income	53	View →
32	Barrington	4.5x income	58	View →

Methodology

Ratio = estimated home value ÷ average household income (Census ACS). Demographia bands (under 3.0 affordable, over 5.0 severely unaffordable) are designed around medians, so treat these as directional. Cities whose true median home value likely exceeds the dataset's modeled value (e.g. SF Bay, Manhattan) are flagged in their state pages.

FAQ

What's a healthy ratio in Rhode Island?: Under 3.0 is considered affordable; 3.0-4.0 moderate; 4.0-5.0 seriously unaffordable; over 5.0 severely unaffordable.
Does this account for interest rates?: No, price-to-income is rate-agnostic so it stays comparable across cycles.
What if my income is higher?: Your personal ratio matters more than the market median. Use it as a relative comparison.