What actually sets Rhode Island apart
Rhode Island's owner-occupied classifications mean the rate you pay depends on how you use the house, not just where it is. Buying a two- or three-family in Providence and living in one unit is taxed very differently from buying the same building as an investment.
Property taxes in Rhode Island at a glance
- Average effective tax rate: 1.32% of home value per year
- Median home value: $368,800
- Estimated tax on a median-value home: $4,854 per year (about $405 per month)
- Rank by tax rate: 13th of 50, highest first
- Rank by amount actually paid: 9th of 50, highest first
- Where these figures come from: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, for the Rhode Island statewide averages shown above — ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates, last reviewed September 2026.
What the Rhode Island rate leaves out
Rhode Island is 13th of the fifty by rate and 9th by the bill a median-value owner receives — a shift of 4 places, and the $368,800 median home value is what causes it. The rate is a reasonable shorthand here, but it is not the whole answer, and both numbers are worth checking before comparing Rhode Island with anywhere else.
How Rhode Island works out what you owe
Cities and towns revalue statistically every three years and conduct a full revaluation every nine. Several communities apply different rates to owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied residential property.
State law limits the annual increase in a municipality's total tax levy to 4%, which constrains how fast bills can rise across a community.
Exemptions Rhode Island homeowners should claim
Each of these reduces a Rhode Island bill every year you hold the property, and almost none are granted without a claim:
- Owner-occupied exemption: Providence and several other cities grant a substantial exemption or a lower rate class to owner-occupiers, which is why the same house is taxed very differently as a rental.
- Elderly, veteran and disability exemptions: Adopted locally, with each city and town setting its own amounts and eligibility rules.
Where you buy inside Rhode Island changes the bill
A statewide average hides its extremes. Where they show up in Rhode Island:
- Providence County: counties have no government in Rhode Island; the city of Providence sets its own rates and its owner-occupied exemption is among the most valuable in the state
- Washington County: the southern shore towns, where the second-home market pays the non-owner-occupied rate
- Newport County: low rates on very high values, producing large dollar bills from a modest percentage
Rhode Island and its neighbours
The same $368,800 — the Rhode Island median — taxed at each neighbouring state's average rate:
- Connecticut at 1.92%: about $7,081 a year, roughly $2,227 more than the $4,854 a Rhode Island owner would pay on the same value.
- Massachusetts at 1.11%: about $4,094 a year, roughly $760 less than the $4,854 a Rhode Island owner would pay on the same value.
Appealing a Rhode Island assessment
If the assessed value on your Rhode Island home overstates what it is worth, the route is an appeal to the local tax assessor, then the local board of assessment review. The window is within 90 days of the first payment due date, and it is strict — missing it means waiting a full cycle.
Frequently asked questions
When are Rhode Island property taxes due, and when must exemption claims be filed?
Most municipalities bill quarterly on a July fiscal year. Applications are filed with the local tax assessor, commonly by 15 April or by the end of the assessment year.
Does this calculator use my exact Rhode Island county tax rate?
No — it applies the Rhode Island statewide average of 1.32%. Rates are set locally, and the spread inside Rhode Island is wide enough to matter: on a $368,800 home, $1,233 a year separates Rhode Island from an averagely taxed state before any county variation is counted. Check the parcel's own rate with its Rhode Island county before relying on this figure.
Reference sources
Related calculators
How this estimate is built
Principal and interest come from the standard amortization formula, worked through in full on the formula reference page. Property tax, insurance, PMI and loan-program figures layer on top from published assumptions — each one sourced, dated and listed on the methodology page. Every result here is an estimate built from public data, not a quote: confirm the specifics with a lender before relying on it.
For developers
This calculation is also available as a REST API and through an MCP server, both running the same engine as this page — so the figures match by construction rather than by convention. No key required.