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→Providence
Providence is what a college town looks like wearing a former industrial capital's old leather jacket. Brown and RISD pour creatives in by the thousand, Federal Hill has been feeding them red sauce since forever, and on summer nights WaterFire literally lights bonfires up and down the river. It's cheap enough that Boston refugees actually stay. The state capitol has the fourth-largest self-supporting marble dome in the world, and you'll be told within an hour of arrival.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,767/mo
$2,127/mo
$640/mo less than Bridgeport (30%)
Median home price
Median home price
$768k
$528k
$240k less than Bridgeport
State income tax
State income tax
5.5%
6.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,108/mo
$5,707/mo
Providence has $599/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
159 days
13 fewer than Bridgeport
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
15 days
35 days
days below 20°F per year
Providence drops below 20°F on 20 more days per year than Bridgeport.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
64 / 100
63 / 100
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
1 routes
17 routes
16 more direct routes than Bridgeport
Metro size
Metro size
952k metro
1.7M metro
Bridgeport has 3.0x fewer events per month than Providence.
the verdict
3
Bridgeport
categories won
4
Providence
categories won
Providence wins on money and lifestyle. Bridgeport has the edge on weather.
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