Chicago, IL vs Bridgeport, CT
Moving from Chicago to Bridgeport? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($353,998 → $689,914 median home) and taxes.
Chicago vs Bridgeport 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 Chicago, IL, you'd need about $104,415 in Bridgeport, CT (+$4,415).
Livability — Chicago, IL: 63 · Bridgeport, CT: 52 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,402 sqft in Chicago vs 1,377 sqft in Bridgeport ($208 vs $363 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Chicago, IL | Bridgeport, CT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $27,192 | $34,236 | +$7,044 |
| Groceries | $5,215 | $4,930 | −$285 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $3,720 | +$170 |
| Utilities | $2,208 | $3,480 | +$1,272 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $1,600 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $14,141 | $17,872 | +$3,731 |
| Total | $54,206 | $65,838 | +$11,631 |
Side by side
| Metric | Chicago, IL | Bridgeport, CT |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 107.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.19% | 6.22% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.2% | 1.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $6.09 |
| Median home price | $353,998 | $689,914 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 6.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.4% | 5.5% |
| Price per square foot | $208 | $363 |
| Median rent | $2,266 | $2,853 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.9% | 15.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 6.35% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | 6.99% |
| Property tax rate | 2.11% | 1.76% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.07% |
| Avg commute (min) | 31 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 32.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.40 |
| Natural gas / mo | $82 | $106 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $57 | $88 |
| Home internet / mo | $77 | $66 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 150 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 18 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 40.9 | 47.1 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 38.8 | 51.7 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 54% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |