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→Reading
Reading is the Pagoda lit up on Mount Penn (a Japanese-style pavilion built in 1908 that's become the city symbol), old factory bones, and the surrounding Berks County farmland. The downtown food and art scene is growing into the old factory bones, with breweries and galleries opening steadily. Pretzels, scrapple, and Pennsylvania Dutch baking are everywhere. Cheaper than nearby Lancaster.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,767/mo
$1,478/mo
$1,289/mo less than Bridgeport (87%)
Median home price
Median home price
$768k
$311k
$457k less than Bridgeport
State income tax
State income tax
5.5%
3.1%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,108/mo
$6,600/mo
Reading has $1,492/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
157 days
15 fewer than Bridgeport
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
2 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
15 days
32 days
days below 20°F per year
Reading drops below 20°F on 17 more days per year than Bridgeport.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
64 / 100
65 / 100
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
1 routes
0 routes
Metro size
Metro size
952k metro
433k metro
Bridgeport has 4.1x fewer events per month than Reading.
the verdict
2
Bridgeport
categories won
4
Reading
categories won
Reading wins on money. Bridgeport has the edge on weather.
run your numbers
How far does your Bridgeport salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works