Overall
- New Haven
- 104.6
Diff -2.3 RPP
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury vs New Haven
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. New Haven is 2.2% less expensive than Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury.
2.2% less expensive
New Haven, CT is 2.2% less expensive than Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 104.6 vs 106.9). A $100,000 salary in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury buys about the same as $97,843 in New Haven; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 106.9 (Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury) vs 104.6 (New Haven)
- $100k in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury ≈ $97,843 purchasing power in New Haven
- Rents drives the gap (-26.2 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair CT:CT 106.9→104.6
TIER-NEAR · SAME-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- SAME-STATE Same state · 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.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- New Haven
- 97.3
Diff 0.0 RPP
Services
- New Haven
- 144.8
Diff -2.2 RPP
Rents
- New Haven
- 124.3
Diff -26.2 RPP
| Category | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury | New Haven | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 106.9 | 104.6 | -2.3 |
| Goods | 97.3 | 97.3 | 0.0 |
| Services | 147.1 | 144.8 | -2.2 |
| Rents | 150.5 | 124.3 | -26.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury 106.9
New Haven 104.6
Goods
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury 97.3
New Haven 97.3
Services
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury 147.1
New Haven 144.8
Rents
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury 150.5
New Haven 124.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rents creates the largest separation: New Haven is 26.2 points lower. But goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
New Haven, CT is 2.2% less expensive than Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 2.3-point overall gap.
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.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury corresponds to $97,843 in New Haven.
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury
106.9
Cost Index
New Haven
104.6
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury would need to be in New Haven for the same purchasing power:
| In Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury | In New Haven | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $48,922 | $-1,078 |
| $75,000 | $73,382 | $-1,618 |
| $100,000 | $97,843 | $-2,157 |
| $150,000 | $146,765 | $-3,235 |
$ in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury = in New Haven
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (106.9 → 104.6), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is New Haven more expensive than Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury?
New Haven is 2.2% less expensive than Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury. The overall cost index is 104.6 vs 106.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in New Haven equals $100K in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury?
A $100,000 salary in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury has the same purchasing power as $97,843 in New Haven. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury and New Haven?
Rents in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury are indexed at 150.5 while New Haven is at 124.3 (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.