[jsuitter82]

Hello,
My husband has the opportunity to transfer to Greenwich, and we are wondering if anyone can give us recommendations for very affordable housing within a 1.5 hour commute of Greenwich? We are a family of 3 and income would be about $55,000/year, so we most certainly couldn't afford to live in Greenwich, but I'm trying to figure out if there's anything affordable within an hour and a half drive?

Where we are in Maine we have a 4 bed, 3 bath house on that salary, but my searches thus far are not looking very promising. Other considerations would be safety of the area and a decent school system (although I have heard all school systems in CT are quite good compared to other states).

Would be very thankful for any recommendations anyone can give! Thank you so much!!

[FutureTown]

I would imagine Danbury would work with that budget. Your other option could be Stratford.

If you're husband's work is near the train line, you can stretch further towards Milford and still have a commute under your designated time.

The schools are good in all of the list towns/cities above but not the best in Connecticut, just keep that in mind.

[Stylo]

Hate to be a downer but that salary will be a challenge in CT. So you may want to think it through. $55k is an extremely low salary for Greenwich. Keep in mind wages are much higher here, so if he's not getting a big pay bump, he's essentially making less. Sacrifices will need to be made, as you know from coming from a very cheap area to one of the most expensive in the country.

Traffic on 95/15 is very heavy from Fairfield to Greenwich. If work isn't near a train, Danbury or New Milford. If it's near a train line, I would recommend Stratford, Ansonia, or Seymour and take train from Bridgeport. Those towns will be the best value. Milford and Shelton might be too expensive.

[BPt111]

Stratford, Seymour

Broadbridge Ave, Nichols Ave, Huntington Rd stay north of Barnum ave when renting in Stratford.

In Seymour you can drive to Bridgeport and park at holiday inn then take the train to Greenwich. The driving is about 20 mins to Bridgeport

[BPt111]

Originally Posted by FutureTown

I would imagine Danbury would work with that budget. Your other option could be Stratford.

If you're husband's work is near the train line, you can stretch further towards Milford and still have a commute under your designated time.

The schools are good in all of the list towns/cities above but not the best in Connecticut, just keep that in mind.

Milford is expensive but less expensive than Fairfield/Trumbull but more expensive than Stratford.

[hvexpatinct]

That salary is going to be really tough in most parts of CT. You could possibly live in a condo in New Milford on $55K. Or maybe Beacon Falls or Seymour.

[V&L]

I am not from CT but I wanted to say my ex bought in Bridgeport a 1 bedroom house for 28 thousand dollars last year, 5 minutes drive from Southport where he works ( a very expensive community, similar to Greenwich in price range), and 2 minutes from the beach. The area is low-income but safe, upcoming and clean (the one thing the Association really checked was steady job and credit score to weed out the wrong type of people), and the house itself needs renovation but only cosmetic, it is perfectly livable. When he moved everybody told him he would not find anything within or very near Southport on his salary of 80,000 dollars, now he has house with no mortgage (he bought the place for cash), that even looks very cute and has beach privileges. So don't give up, it might take longer to find something but there are always possibilities!

[Bluderby]

Traveling from the north to get to Greenwich may be easier than traveling from the East (ie i95 and the Merritt are tough in rush hour). Some affordable towns way up north are Sherman, New Milford, Kent and maybe New Fairfield. They border NY so check out towns on the NY side too. Even though you avoid 95 and the Merritt it is still a long drive though.

[beerisgood02]

Originally Posted by V&L

I am not from CT but I wanted to say my ex bought in Bridgeport a 1 bedroom house for 28 thousand dollars last year, 5 minutes drive from Southport where he works ( a very expensive community, similar to Greenwich in price range), and 2 minutes from the beach. The area is low-income but safe, upcoming and clean (the one thing the Association really checked was steady job and credit score to weed out the wrong type of people), and the house itself needs renovation but only cosmetic, it is perfectly livable. When he moved everybody told him he would not find anything within or very near Southport on his salary of 80,000 dollars, now he has house with no mortgage (he bought the place for cash), that even looks very cute and has beach privileges. So don't give up, it might take longer to find something but there are always possibilities!

Southport is not similar to Greenwich in price range or in anything else for that matter.

[V&L]

Southport isn't as rich as Greenwich, that is true (even if some of the classic houses near the harbor best anything I have seen in Greenwich), but the median house value is half a million dollars, so it is definitely a very affluent area. My point is that it is not impossible to find nearby Greenwich a house that is affordable, as long as the OP has a steady income and a good credit score and keeps expectations realistic.