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→Charlotte
Charlotte is banking towers (it's the second-biggest banking center in the country after NYC) wrapped in pine trees and southern hospitality. Uptown is the downtown (Charlotteans correct you on this immediately), the NASCAR Hall of Fame anchors a real motorsport scene, and the Whitewater Center lets you raft inside the city limits. Growth is fast, breweries are everywhere, and barbecue gets the Carolina vinegar treatment.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,767/mo
$1,728/mo
$1,039/mo less than Bridgeport (60%)
Median home price
Median home price
$768k
$391k
$376k less than Bridgeport
State income tax
State income tax
5.5%
4.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,108/mo
$6,230/mo
Charlotte has $1,122/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
200 days
28 more than Bridgeport
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
7 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
15 days
3 days
days below 20°F per year
Charlotte has 7 more days above 95°F each year than Bridgeport. Bridgeport drops below 20°F on 12 more days per year than Charlotte.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
64 / 100
51 / 100
13.0 pts behind Bridgeport
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
1 routes
141 routes
140 more direct routes than Bridgeport
Metro size
Metro size
952k metro
2.8M metro
Bridgeport has 16.1x fewer events per month than Charlotte.
the verdict
2
Bridgeport
categories won
7
Charlotte
categories won
Charlotte leads on money and weather and wins overall.
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