01 · the cities
Bridgeport
Bridgeport is the largest city in Connecticut, sitting on Long Island Sound with a working harbor and a real waterfront. P.T. Barnum lived here and the city's museum still pays tribute to his weird genius. It's a quick train ride to New York, with much cheaper housing and proper New England summers. The food scene punches above its weight, with old-school Portuguese and Brazilian spots packed every weekend.
full dispatch→Allentown
Allentown is the heart of the Lehigh Valley, with old industrial bones turning into a quietly resilient mid-sized city. The Lehigh River runs past, the historic downtown has been steadily finding its footing with breweries and restaurants in the old buildings, and the surrounding farmland is gorgeous. It's an hour and change from both Philly and NYC. Cheaper than both, by a lot.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,767/mo
$1,809/mo
$958/mo less than Bridgeport (53%)
Median home price
Median home price
$768k
$359k
$408k less than Bridgeport
State income tax
State income tax
5.5%
3.1%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,108/mo
$6,269/mo
Allentown has $1,161/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
172 days
157 days
15 fewer than Bridgeport
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
2 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
15 days
32 days
days below 20°F per year
Allentown drops below 20°F on 17 more days per year than Bridgeport.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
64 / 100
73 / 100
9.0 pts ahead of Bridgeport
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
1 routes
9 routes
8 more direct routes than Bridgeport
Metro size
Metro size
952k metro
874k metro
Bridgeport has 3.9x fewer events per month than Allentown.
the verdict
2
Bridgeport
categories won
6
Allentown
categories won
Allentown wins on money and lifestyle. Bridgeport has the edge on weather.
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