The cost of living in RI

Good morning, I'm Will Richmond at The Providence Journal and this is the Daily Briefing.

Inflation. Shrinkflation. Gas prices. Groceries.

We've all watched as prices climb on many products and our bills increase, but just how expensive is it to live in Rhode Island?

I may not need to tell you this, but turns out it's pretty expensive compared to other states in the U.S.

The Journal's Wheeler Cowperthwaite looks into a new study that places Rhode Island as 16% more expensive than the national average. What's causing such a difference and just how legitimate are these numbers?

See what Wheeler found out.

• A monumental effort is underway across the U.S. and Rhode Island is currently in the middle of the All of Us, an initiative of the National Institutes of Health to build a sprawling database for researchers to study.

The Journal's Jonny Williams reports that recently, a team from the NIH was in Providence and next week they will return to travel to Central Falls. Their goal is to build a databank that is representative of the country’s diverse population. Here's a look at how it works.

• If you're enjoying a long weekend, Journal contributor John Kostrzewa offers up a nice hike along a coastal sanctuary in Barrington that has deep roots in Native and Colonial history.

• If you missed this year's edition of the Bristol Fourth of July Parade there's no need to worry. The Journal's Jonny Williams was there along with freelance photographer Emma Marion to catch all the sights.

• I've probably seen John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band in concert more times than I'd care to admit, but spending your twenties at The Ocean Mist will do that. Journal contributor Sue McDonald talked with Cafferty as the band celebrates its 50th year of rocking and is about to perform at PPAC as a new album comes out.

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RHODY RANKS

Every day we receive emails ranking Rhode Island. While the work behind the ranks may be dubious, they can be fun. Each day I'll share where Rhody Ranks from one of the latest emails.

A new study has revealed the states most and least interested in plastic surgery, revealing Rhode Island to rank as the second most obsessed state.

The study, conducted by biological age testing company TruMe Labs, assessed the number of average monthly searches on Google Keyword Planner for cosmetic surgery terminology, as well as keywords and phrases relating to plastic surgeons nearby. This figure was then scaled against 100,000 residents per state population to ensure fair comparisons across states. The study also found the most-searched-for surgery for each state but excluded any non-surgical cosmetic procedures, such as lip fillers.

TODAY'S WEATHER

☁️ Mainly cloudy and humid with a couple of showers and a thunderstorm. Highs in the low 80s.