·Cost of Living

Why Emergency Medicine Physicianss in Rhode Island Earn $165,670 More — But Is It Worth It?

The salary gap looks big on paper, but cost of living tells a different story.

On paper, a Emergency Medicine Physicians in Rhode Island earns $512,730 vs $347,060 in Indiana. That's a $165,670 difference.

But after adjusting for cost of living:

  • Rhode Island: $512,730 raw → ~$488,314 purchasing power
  • Indiana: $347,060 raw → ~$377,239 purchasing power

The gap shrinks significantly — from $165,670 to just $111,075 in real terms.

This is why we built the Best Cities tool — raw salary doesn't tell the full story.

Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, IRS Statistics of Income, SEC proxy filings. All data is from official government sources.