Moving to Connecticut from California
What to Expect
Considering a move from California to Connecticut? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from California to Connecticut, you would find that Connecticut is 4.4% cheaper than California. A $75,000 salary in California would need to be roughly $71,700 in Connecticut to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Bridgeport averages 61°F vs 75°F in Los Angeles, making it significantly cooler. Los Angeles and Bridgeport are about 2,500 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Connecticut? Get a shortlist of towns in Connecticut that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Connecticut cheaper than California?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 5.0% more
Groceries
pay 1.1% less
Transportation
pay 15.4% less
Housing
pay 3.7% less
Childcare
pay 10.0% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.3% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Connecticut?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $71,700
To maintain the same standard of living in Connecticut
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Connecticut cost about 20% less than cities in California.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Connecticut compared to California.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Connecticut performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Connecticut leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Connecticut performs significantly better than California across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
California generally does better on infrastructure, though Connecticut leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
California generally does better on employment & economy, though Connecticut leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
California generally does better on family life, though Connecticut leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Connecticut vs California
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Los Angeles | Bridgeport |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 69°/49°F (21°/10°C) | 42°/23°F (6°/-5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/57°F (24°/14°C) | 68°/49°F (20°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/64°F (29°/18°C) | 80°/62°F (26°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) | 53°/34°F (12°/1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Los Angeles | Bridgeport |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68°/48°F (20.1°/8.8°C) | 38°/20°F (3.1°/-6.9°C) |
| Feb | 69°/49°F (20.3°/9.6°C) | 41°/21°F (4.9°/-6.0°C) |
| Mar | 70°/51°F (21.2°/10.6°C) | 47°/29°F (8.6°/-1.7°C) |
| Apr | 73°/53°F (22.6°/11.9°C) | 59°/40°F (15.1°/4.2°C) |
| May | 74°/57°F (23.6°/13.9°C) | 68°/49°F (20.2°/9.6°C) |
| Jun | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) | 78°/59°F (25.7°/15.1°C) |
| Jul | 83°/64°F (28.4°/17.6°C) | 83°/65°F (28.1°/18.3°C) |
| Aug | 84°/64°F (29.1°/17.8°C) | 82°/64°F (27.6°/17.7°C) |
| Sep | 83°/63°F (28.4°/17.3°C) | 75°/56°F (23.7°/13.1°C) |
| Oct | 78°/59°F (25.8°/14.8°C) | 63°/44°F (17.4°/6.5°C) |
| Nov | 73°/52°F (22.7°/11.1°C) | 54°/34°F (12.1°/1.3°C) |
| Dec | 68°/47°F (19.8°/8.6°C) | 43°/24°F (6.1°/-4.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Connecticut than California?
On average Connecticut is about 4% less expensive than California, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Connecticut?
Budget about $17,925 for 3 months in Connecticut (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Connecticut safe?
Connecticut performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Connecticut compared to California?
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Connecticut leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Connecticut compared to California?
The average high temperature in Bridgeport is 61°F, compared to 75°F in Los Angeles. Bridgeport receives around 47.7 in of rainfall per year, while Los Angeles gets 14.9 in.
