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→Lakeland
Lakeland has the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world, on the Florida Southern College campus (designed in the 1940s, all skylights and copper). The city sits between Tampa and Orlando, with actual swans patrolling its namesake downtown lake (the city even has a swan management program). Publix is headquartered here, which Floridians treat as a point of pride.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,767/mo
$1,834/mo
$933/mo less than Bridgeport (51%)
Median home price
Median home price
$768k
$301k
$466k less than Bridgeport
State income tax
State income tax
5.5%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,108/mo
$6,499/mo
Lakeland has $1,391/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
206 days
34 more than Bridgeport
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
13 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
15 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Lakeland has 13 more days above 95°F each year than Bridgeport. Bridgeport drops below 20°F on 15 more days per year than Lakeland.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
64 / 100
48 / 100
16.0 pts behind Bridgeport
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
1 routes
68 routes
67 more direct routes than Bridgeport
Metro size
Metro size
952k metro
818k metro
Bridgeport has 1.7x fewer events per month than Lakeland.
the verdict
2
Bridgeport
categories won
7
Lakeland
categories won
Lakeland leads on money and weather and wins overall.
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