Overall
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton
- 108.3
Diff -1.4 RPP
Boston-Cambridge-Newton vs Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury is 1.3% less expensive than Boston-Cambridge-Newton.
1.3% less expensive
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area is 1.3% less expensive than Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 106.9 vs 108.3). A $100,000 salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton buys about the same as $98,705 in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury; the largest component gap is goods.
- Overall RPP 108.3 (Boston-Cambridge-Newton) vs 106.9 (Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury)
- $100k in Boston-Cambridge-Newton ≈ $98,705 purchasing power in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury
- Goods drives the gap (-2.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair MA:CT 108.3→106.9
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE MA × CT
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Boston-Cambridge-Newton
108.3
Cost Index
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury
106.9
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH and Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area are a photo finish on overall price level, only 1.4 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Goods creates the largest separation: Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury is 2.3 points lower. But rents move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
For a goods-led difference, remember that many tradable prices vary less by address than housing or labor-priced services. Use $98,705 in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury as the BEA equivalent of $100,000 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, then replace the national basket with your own.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff -2.3 RPP
Services
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton
- 148.8
Diff -1.7 RPP
Rents
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton
- 148.4
Diff +2.0 RPP
| Category | Boston-Cambridge-Newton | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 108.3 | 106.9 | -1.4 |
| Goods | 99.7 | 97.3 | -2.3 |
| Services | 148.8 | 147.1 | -1.7 |
| Rents | 148.4 | 150.5 | +2.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Boston-Cambridge-Newton 108.3
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury 106.9
Goods
Boston-Cambridge-Newton 99.7
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury 97.3
Services
Boston-Cambridge-Newton 148.8
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury 147.1
Rents
Boston-Cambridge-Newton 148.4
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury 150.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton would need to be in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury for the same purchasing power:
| In Boston-Cambridge-Newton | In Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,353 | $-647 |
| $75,000 | $74,029 | $-971 |
| $100,000 | $98,705 | $-1,295 |
| $150,000 | $148,058 | $-1,942 |
$ in Boston-Cambridge-Newton = in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (108.3 → 106.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury more expensive than Boston-Cambridge-Newton?
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury is 1.3% less expensive than Boston-Cambridge-Newton. The overall cost index is 106.9 vs 108.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury equals $100K in Boston-Cambridge-Newton?
A $100,000 salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton has the same purchasing power as $98,705 in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Boston-Cambridge-Newton and Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury?
Rents in Boston-Cambridge-Newton are indexed at 148.4 while Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury is at 150.5 (national average = 100). Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.