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→Lafayette
Lafayette is the unofficial capital of Cajun country, with zydeco music spilling out of dance halls, crawfish boils that count as social events, and gumbo so dark and rich it should be served with a nap. Mardi Gras here is huge but more family-friendly than New Orleans. The food (boudin, etouffee, cracklins) is the main reason to be here. Friendly in a way that's hard to fake.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,767/mo
$1,332/mo
$1,435/mo less than Bridgeport (108%)
Median home price
Median home price
$768k
$200k
$568k less than Bridgeport
State income tax
State income tax
5.5%
3.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,108/mo
$6,751/mo
Lafayette has $1,643/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
211 days
39 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
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Lafayette has 7 more days above 95°F each year than Bridgeport. Bridgeport drops below 20°F on 15 more days per year than Lafayette.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
64 / 100
43 / 100
21.0 pts behind Bridgeport
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
1 routes
3 routes
Metro size
Metro size
952k metro
414k metro
Bridgeport has 1.4x more events per month than Lafayette.
the verdict
2
Bridgeport
categories won
6
Lafayette
categories won
Lafayette wins on money and weather. Bridgeport has the edge on lifestyle.
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