Is Connecticut Worth the Price?

What it costs to live here, and how good a place it is to live, in plain numbers.

Best place to live rank

#18

18th out of 50 states overall.

Above average for overall quality of life.

How we rank states ›

Cost to live here

#44

44th cheapest state, about 19% above average.

To live the way $75,000 affords in an average state, you would need about $89,000 here.

How we measure cost ›

Connecticut ranks 18th of 50 states for overall quality of life and 44th for affordability. It does best on education, safety, and walkability, and struggles most with green space, economy, and cost. A typical household earns about $100,000 a year, and the cost of living runs about 19% above average.

Why Connecticut ranks #18 for living

Our Best Life Rank scores every state on the things that shape daily life, from cost and climate to schools and safety. Here is how Connecticut scores on each, best to worst.

Education
#3 of 50
Safety
#4 of 50
Walkability
#4 of 50
Healthcare
#7 of 50
Air quality
#16 of 50
Climate
#20 of 50
Dog friendly
#23 of 50
Green space
#33 of 50
Economy
#43 of 50
Cost of living
#44 of 50

Each factor is ranked 1 (best) to 50 (worst) across all states. Green is strong, yellow is middling, red is weak.

Connecticut at a glance

Typical household income

$100,000

4th highest

Typical home price

$408,000

17th highest

Overall cost of living

19% above average

44th cheapest

Total taxes on a typical household

About 13%

11th highest income tax

Typical commute

About 26 min

one way

Taxes in Connecticut

See your real Connecticut take-home pay

Enter your salary and get your actual paycheck after Connecticut taxes.

Calculate my take-home pay ›
Sources: Cost and income from the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tax rates from the Tax Foundation. Best Life Rank factors from the Commonwealth Fund, NAEP, FBI, EPA, and NOAA. Cost measured by the BLISS Score, v1.3 method. Updated 2026.