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→Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids has won Beer City USA multiple times, hosts ArtPrize (one of the world's largest open art competitions every fall), and built itself on furniture (Steelcase, Herman Miller). The Frederik Meijer Sculpture Park is a sleeper world-class attraction. Downtown is walkable, the surrounding farmland is gorgeous in autumn, and Lake Michigan beaches are 30 minutes west. Quietly excellent.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,767/mo
$1,620/mo
$1,147/mo less than Bridgeport (71%)
Median home price
Median home price
$768k
$353k
$415k less than Bridgeport
State income tax
State income tax
5.5%
4.3%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,108/mo
$6,359/mo
Grand Rapids has $1,251/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
151 days
21 fewer than Bridgeport
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
15 days
50 days
days below 20°F per year
Grand Rapids drops below 20°F on 35 more days per year than Bridgeport.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
64 / 100
56 / 100
8.0 pts behind Bridgeport
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
1 routes
20 routes
19 more direct routes than Bridgeport
Metro size
Metro size
952k metro
1.2M metro
Bridgeport has 9.9x fewer events per month than Grand Rapids.
the verdict
3
Bridgeport
categories won
5
Grand Rapids
categories won
Grand Rapids wins on money. Bridgeport has the edge on weather.
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