Rhode Island vs Vermont

Head-to-head homesteading comparison across taxes, land, climate, laws, safety & more

Rhode Island

Rank #50

Overall Score

39.9

Category Wins

4/10

Vermont

Rank #33

Overall Winner

Overall Score

62.9

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.63%

Property Tax

2.1%

123

Cost of Living

117

$18,300

Farm Land $/Acre

$7,500

190 days

Growing Season

130 days

50"

Annual Rainfall

56"

6/10

Soil Quality

6/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

9/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

3.9 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.7 hrs

97%

Broadband

82%

Vermont Edges Out Rhode Island Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 62.9 vs 39.9, Vermont comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 5 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Vermont offers cheaper farmland at $7,500/acre vs $18,300/acre. Rhode Island has a longer growing season (190 vs 130 days). Rhode Island has lower property taxes (1.63% vs 2.1%).

Scroll down to the full comparison table for a deep dive into every metric, or use our ranking tool to weight these factors by what matters most to you.

Full Data Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of selected states across homesteading metrics
Data Point	Rhode Island RI	Vermont VT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.99%	8.75%
	7%	6%
	1.63%	2.1%
	123	117
Land & Building
	$18,300	$7,500
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Largely prohibited by zoning; ADU-friendly policies limited	Permitted with local approval; ADU-friendly policies
Climate & Growing
	6a-6b	2b-4b
	190	130
	50"	56"
	6	6
	3	2
	2	1
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	3.9	3.7
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	High	High
	3	7
	Weak	Very strong
	Illegal for human consumption	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	No	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	349	155
	20%	28%
Demographics & Community
	1,003	68
	10%	68%
	97%	82%
Business
	#45	#44
	$150/yr	$125/yr
	3.6%	3.1%

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