Overall
- New Haven
- 104.6
Diff -1.9 RPP
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario vs New Haven
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. New Haven is 1.8% less expensive than Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario.
1.8% less expensive
New Haven, CT is 1.8% less expensive than Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 104.6 vs 106.4). A $100,000 salary in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario buys about the same as $98,231 in New Haven; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 106.4 (Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario) vs 104.6 (New Haven)
- $100k in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario ≈ $98,231 purchasing power in New Haven
- Rents drives the gap (-5.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair CA:CT 106.4→104.6
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE CA × CT
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- 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.
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
106.4
Cost Index
New Haven
104.6
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA and New Haven, CT are a photo finish on overall price level, only 1.9 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents leads the difference, with New Haven 5.0 points lower than Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
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 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario corresponds to $98,231 in New Haven.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- New Haven
- 97.3
Diff -4.1 RPP
Services
- New Haven
- 144.8
Diff -3.8 RPP
Rents
- New Haven
- 124.3
Diff -5.0 RPP
| Category | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | New Haven | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 106.4 | 104.6 | -1.9 |
| Goods | 101.4 | 97.3 | -4.1 |
| Services | 148.6 | 144.8 | -3.8 |
| Rents | 129.3 | 124.3 | -5.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 106.4
New Haven 104.6
Goods
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 101.4
New Haven 97.3
Services
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 148.6
New Haven 144.8
Rents
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 129.3
New Haven 124.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario would need to be in New Haven for the same purchasing power:
| In Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | In New Haven | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,115 | $-885 |
| $75,000 | $73,673 | $-1,327 |
| $100,000 | $98,231 | $-1,769 |
| $150,000 | $147,346 | $-2,654 |
$ in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario = in New Haven
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (106.4 → 104.6), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is New Haven more expensive than Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
New Haven is 1.8% less expensive than Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario. The overall cost index is 104.6 vs 106.4 (national average = 100).
What salary in New Haven equals $100K in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
A $100,000 salary in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario has the same purchasing power as $98,231 in New Haven. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario and New Haven?
Rents in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario are indexed at 129.3 while New Haven is at 124.3 (national average = 100). Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 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.