Cost of Living in Connecticut: Housing, Taxes, Utilities and Everyday Costs

“Is Connecticut expensive?” has a different answer in every town. Housing and property taxes drive most of the difference, so this guide starts there, then covers the other costs with the official sources you can check for current numbers.

The short answer by region

• Fairfield County shoreline: the highest home prices in the state, offset in part by low mill rates in Greenwich, Darien and Westport.
• Stamford and Norwalk: high prices for single-family homes, with condos as a lower-cost entry point.
• New Haven County: much lower prices, with higher mill rates in New Haven itself.
• Greater Hartford: moderate prices with some of the highest mill rates in the state.

Housing: what homes sold for

These are the 2025 median sale prices from SmartMLS, the multiple listing service covering most of Connecticut. They are sale medians for the whole year, not values for any specific home.

Source: SmartMLS Local Market Update, December 2025: closed sales for the full year 2025, reported separately for single-family homes and condos or townhouses. These are sale medians, not values for a specific home. SmartMLS only partly covers Greenwich, where the Greenwich MLS is the main listing service.

Zillow’s Home Value Index offers a different measure, a modeled typical value for a mid-tier home. As of August 31, 2026 it put Stamford at $724,387 and New Haven at $339,182¹. That is not a sale price, so do not compare it directly with the medians above.

Property taxes

The table applies each town’s FY2027 mill rate to the same $500,000 home, so you can see the effect of the rate alone².

Source: CT Office of Policy and Management, Mill Rates (FY2014 to FY2027 data); City of Stamford Assessor, property assessment (FY2027 district rates); City of Norwalk, Tax Collector's legal notice, collection period July 2026; City of Norwalk, FY2027 Approved Operating Budget Book (pp. 13 to 14, 39). FY2027 runs July 2026 to June 2027 and is based on the October 1, 2025 grand list. *An illustration, not a tax bill: $500,000 market value assessed at 70 percent, times the FY2027 real estate mill rate, before special district rates, exemptions or credits. A lower rate after a revaluation does not mean a lower bill. †Stamford and Norwalk tax real estate at a different rate in each district; the range runs from the lowest to the highest district.

For a real home, use its own assessment. The property tax guide and the mill rate math for 10 towns go deeper.

Utilities and heating

Electricity, natural gas, heating oil and propane all play a part in Connecticut. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Connecticut profile has current electricity prices and the mix of heating fuels³. Older homes with oil heat and little insulation can cost far more to heat than newer homes, so ask for 12 months of bills before you buy.

Transportation

Most households need at least one car, which means a payment, insurance and the town’s annual car tax. Commuters add a Metro-North ticket, priced by station and ticket type⁴, plus station parking. See Metro-North parking, passes and fares.

Insurance

Homeowners insurance is a larger line item near the water, where flood insurance and hurricane deductibles may apply. See homeowners insurance, flood zones and coastal risk.

Groceries, childcare and healthcare

For price trends, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes consumer price index data for the New York metro area, which covers Fairfield County⁵. Childcare and healthcare costs vary by provider; get quotes in the town you are considering.

Income needed

MIT’s Living Wage Calculator estimates the income needed to cover basic costs in each Connecticut county by household type⁶. It is a floor, not a target: buying a home in most commuter towns takes a much higher income.

Property tax per month at the median home

A yearly tax figure is easy to underestimate. Dividing it by twelve puts it next to a mortgage payment, which is how most buyers feel it. These estimates apply each town’s FY2027 mill rate² to its 2025 median single-family sale price, using the 70 percent assessment rule.

• New Haven: median $370,000⁷, about $10,350 a year or about $863 a month.
• Southbury: median $615,000⁸, about $10,935 a year or about $911 a month.
• Milford: median $539,000⁹, about $10,817 a year or about $901 a month.
• Madison: median $725,000¹⁰, about $11,703 a year or about $975 a month.
• Guilford: median $649,900¹¹, about $12,920 a year or about $1,077 a month.
• Fairfield: median $1,072,500¹², about $14,407 a year or about $1,201 a month.
• Norwalk: median $767,000¹³, about $12,339 to $13,246, depending on the taxing district a year or about $1,028 to $1,104, depending on the taxing district a month.
• West Hartford: median $542,250¹⁴, about $17,753 a year or about $1,479 a month.
• Greenwich: median $2,504,475¹⁵, about $17,750 a year or about $1,479 a month.
• Stamford: median $960,500¹⁶, about $16,345 to $16,903, depending on the tax district a year or about $1,362 to $1,409, depending on the tax district a month.
• Westport: median $2,300,000¹⁷, about $21,252 a year or about $1,771 a month.
• Ridgefield: median $1,100,000¹⁸, about $21,837 a year or about $1,820 a month.
• Darien: median $2,400,000¹⁹, about $26,964 a year or about $2,247 a month.

Two things stand out. West Hartford and Greenwich have almost the same monthly tax at their medians, even though Greenwich’s median home costs more than four times as much. And New Haven, with the second-highest rate on the list, has the lowest bill because its prices are the lowest.

The lesson is that neither price nor rate alone tells you the cost. Multiply them for the homes you are actually considering.

Car tax in dollars

Connecticut towns tax cars each year at the town’s motor vehicle rate, capped at 32.46 mills for FY2027². Cars are assessed at 70 percent of value, like homes.

For a car valued at $40,000, the assessment is $28,000. At Greenwich’s rate of 10.125 mills, the tax would be about $284. At Stamford’s rate, about $681. At Norwalk’s, about $643. In a town whose real estate rate is above the cap, such as New Haven or West Hartford, the car rate is held at 32.46, for about $909.

Two cars double the bill. Values fall as cars age, so the tax usually falls each year too.

Heating an older home

Many Connecticut homes are decades old and some were built long before modern insulation standards. Heating costs can vary a lot between two homes of the same size on the same street.

Ask the seller for a year of heating bills and ask what fuel the home uses. Natural gas is common in cities and some suburbs; oil and propane are common where gas lines do not reach. The EIA’s Connecticut profile shows the mix of fuels across the state³.

An energy audit after you buy can show where heat is escaping. Air sealing, insulation and a newer heating system can lower bills, though each comes with an upfront cost.

Water, sewer and trash

How a home gets water and handles waste changes its costs. Homes on public water and sewer pay the utility and, in some towns, a separate sewer use charge. Homes with a private well and septic system avoid those bills but need testing, pumping and occasional repairs²⁰.

Trash collection differs too. Some towns collect household trash; in others, residents hire a private hauler or take trash to a transfer station. Ask the town how trash is handled at the address and get a hauler’s price before you budget.

Health insurance

If you will not have coverage through an employer, Connecticut’s health insurance marketplace, Access Health CT, sells individual plans²¹. A move into the state is usually a qualifying event that lets you enroll outside the open enrollment period. Check the deadlines when you set your move date.

People 65 and older use Medicare. Plan choices depend on your county, so review them after you move²².

Childcare

Childcare costs vary by provider, age and hours and published averages can be out of date quickly. Call providers in the towns you are considering and ask about waitlists as well as cost. Rely on current quotes from providers rather than any figure you see without a dated source.

Building a monthly budget

Put everything on one page for each town you are considering: mortgage or rent, property tax, homeowners and flood insurance, utilities, car payments and car tax, commuting, childcare and everyday spending. Compare the totals, not the individual lines.

The cost of moving calculator estimates the tax on a home in any town and the costs and money hub links to every cost guide. Our Stamford vs Norwalk and Greenwich vs Darien comparisons put two towns side by side.

When you have a shortlist, get matched with a licensed Connecticut agent who can give you real numbers for the homes you are considering. The town guides for Stamford, Milford, West Hartford and New Haven are good places to start.

Connecticut vs NYC vs Westchester

To compare fairly, list the same inputs for each place: housing payment, property tax (or rent), income tax for your situation, transport and insurance. Our Connecticut vs Westchester and moving from NYC pages explain the inputs. The cost of moving calculator helps with the first year.

What a “comfortable” budget looks like

A living wage covers basics. A comfortable budget usually includes more: dining out, travel, hobbies, savings and a cushion for repairs. How much more depends on you.

As a rough planning tool, some people aim for housing costs (mortgage, tax, insurance and HOA) of no more than about a third of take-home pay. That is a guideline, not a rule. In high-price towns such as Greenwich and Darien, buyers often stretch further; in New Haven and Milford, the same income may leave more room.

Revisit the budget after your first year. Real bills for heat, electricity and the car tax will replace your estimates.