Bridgeport, CT vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Bridgeport to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($689,914 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Bridgeport vs Chicago at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Bridgeport, CT, you'd need about $95,771 in Chicago, IL (−$4,229).
Livability — Bridgeport, CT: 52 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,377 sqft in Bridgeport vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($363 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Bridgeport, CT | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $34,236 | $27,192 | −$7,044 |
| Groceries | $4,930 | $5,215 | +$285 |
| Transportation | $3,720 | $3,550 | −$170 |
| Utilities | $3,480 | $2,208 | −$1,272 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,900 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $17,872 | $14,141 | −$3,730 |
| Total | $65,838 | $54,206 | −$11,631 |
Side by side
| Metric | Bridgeport, CT | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 107.0 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.22% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.2% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.09 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $689,914 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.4× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.5% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $363 | $208 |
| Median rent | $2,853 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.4% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.35% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 6.99% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 1.76% | 2.11% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.07% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 31 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 32.2 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.40 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $106 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $88 | $57 |
| Home internet / mo | $66 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k | 150 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 18 | 15 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 47.1 | 40.9 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 51.7 | 38.8 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 56% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |