Overall
- New Haven
- 104.6
Diff +2.3 RPP
New Haven vs Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury is 2.2% more expensive than New Haven.
2.2% more expensive
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area is 2.2% more expensive than New Haven, CT on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 106.9 vs 104.6). A $100,000 salary in New Haven buys about the same as $102,204 in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 104.6 (New Haven) vs 106.9 (Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury)
- $100k in New Haven ≈ $102,204 purchasing power in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury
- Rents drives the gap (+26.2 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair CT:CT 104.6→106.9
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 | New Haven | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 104.6 | 106.9 | +2.3 |
| Goods | 97.3 | 97.3 | 0.0 |
| Services | 144.8 | 147.1 | +2.2 |
| Rents | 124.3 | 150.5 | +26.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
New Haven 104.6
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury 106.9
Goods
New Haven 97.3
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury 97.3
Services
New Haven 144.8
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury 147.1
Rents
New Haven 124.3
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury 150.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rents creates the largest separation: Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury is 26.2 points higher. But goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area is 2.2% more expensive than New Haven, CT, 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 New Haven corresponds to $102,204 in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury.
New Haven
104.6
Cost Index
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury
106.9
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in New Haven would need to be in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury for the same purchasing power:
| In New Haven | In Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $51,102 | +$1,102 |
| $75,000 | $76,653 | +$1,653 |
| $100,000 | $102,204 | +$2,204 |
| $150,000 | $153,307 | +$3,307 |
$ in New Haven = in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (104.6 → 106.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury more expensive than New Haven?
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury is 2.2% more expensive than New Haven. The overall cost index is 106.9 vs 104.6 (national average = 100).
What salary in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury equals $100K in New Haven?
A $100,000 salary in New Haven has the same purchasing power as $102,204 in Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between New Haven and Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury?
Rents in New Haven are indexed at 124.3 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.