[CTartist]

And that is why I define myself as the struggling middle class of FFC while people I know living in other parts of CT on $80,000 or less (such as the New Haven and Hartford areas) are living better easier lives.

Cities where you can earn $100,000 and still feel broke

[JayCT]

This might be true in the immediate Stamford area but I know a number of people in the Bridgeport and Danbury areas and they do just fine. They aren't living in 3,000 square foot homes but they aren't living in public housing either. Guess it is just perspective. Jay

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by JayCT

This might be true in the immediate Stamford area but I know a number of people in the Bridgeport and Danbury areas and they do just fine. They aren't living in 3,000 square foot homes but they aren't living in public housing either. Guess it is just perspective. Jay

I don't live in a 3000 sf house but a cape that is less than 1500 sf and that article hits the nail on the head to me.

BTW, it says the Bridgeport/Stamford/Norwalk area not the Danbury area. I do agree you can live on less up in the Danbury area (with the exception of Ridgefield).

BTW, you need $100,000 on the east side (my side) of the Stamford/Norwalk/Bridgeport area, on the western/Stamford side you need way more. I have a friend in the Stamford area that is "struggling" on $150,000 HH a year.

[BPt111]

Originally Posted by CTartist

I don't live in a 3000 sf house but a cape that is less than 1500 sf and that article hits the nail on the head to me.

BTW, it says the Bridgeport/Stamford/Norwalk area not the Danbury area. I do agree you can live on less up in the Danbury area (with the exception of Ridgefield).

And Redding for Danbury area, Milford and Shelton is less pricey but still expensive

[erjunkee]

Originally Posted by CTartist

And that is why I define myself as the struggling middle class of FFC while people I know living in other parts of CT on $80,000 or less (such as the New Haven and Hartford areas) are living better easier lives.

Cities where you can earn $100,000 and still feel broke

I'm sure you'll find people less than empathetic with your plight b/c you choose to live here, right?

There are always alternative, But of course, those come with strings attached. You could easily live in another county, suffer the long or chaotic commute, and still feel as though you're saving money.

Choices.

[hipstermomdanbury]

Come to Danbury, you can get a great house downtown for a super price. We find 84 is a fantastic highway too. You can definitely get a great house that is 2,000 square feet for likely a better price than you are paying for 1500 square feet.


There are houses dotted all over Danbury that have a great vibe. They are many unique houses with charm. There are also many tradespeople here and home improvement stores if you are handy yourself or want to hire great guys who can do work on your house to make it the way you want.


On our block we have a ton of highly skilled tradesmen and their houses look fantastic.

Hope you can come up and explore. Don't give up on your dream of feeling like you can prosper in CT on your income level.


You can!

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by CTartist

And that is why I define myself as the struggling middle class of FFC while people I know living in other parts of CT on $80,000 or less (such as the New Haven and Hartford areas) are living better easier lives.

Cities where you can earn $100,000 and still feel broke

You like to bring up counties, but you're on the border of FFC. There is not much of a cost of living difference between where you are in Trumbull and Orange/Woodbridge/Milford.

[nep321]

When I lived in Norwalk and worked in Stamford a couple years ago I was making $77K +22% bonus and was living comfortably as a renter. Granted, my apartment sucked, but that's besides the point. Home ownership was unattainable, however, in order to maintain a reasonable commute and not live in a fixer upper on a busy road.

Now I live in Hartford County and have determined that I can live comfortably here and save money on a salary as low as $40K. Contributing to retirement savings, however, would not be possible. The good news, is that I would qualify for the health insurance premium tax credit (Obamacare subsidies) if purchased on the marketplace, at that income level as well as food stamps and possibly Section 8 housing. I'm looking into it as we speak, because that could be a reality for me in a couple months.

[MrGompers]

Originally Posted by nep321

When I lived in Norwalk and worked in Stamford a couple years ago I was making $77K +22% bonus and was living comfortably as a renter. Granted, my apartment sucked, but that's besides the point. Home ownership was unattainable, however, in order to maintain a reasonable commute and not live in a fixer upper on a busy road.

Now I live in Hartford County and have determined that I can live comfortably here and save money on a salary as low as $40K. Contributing to retirement savings, however, would not be possible. The good news, is that I would qualify for the health insurance premium tax credit (Obamacare subsidies) at that income level as well as food stamps and possibly Section 8 housing. I'm looking into it as we speak, because that could be a reality for me in a couple months.

I don't know if you're joking, but you won't qualify for food stamps or section 8 housing with a salary of 40k. The section 8 housing list is actually closed in CT. The only people who can get on that list is the disabled or battered women.

[CTartist]

My point of posting this was to show how expensive FFC is to live and that other areas are more affordable as they did not make the list. A multitude of posters on here say you need a minimum of $100,000 to live in CT and you do not. There are lots of choices in the New Haven, Hartford areas where you can buy a home in a nice neighborhood with good schools whereas in Stamford/Norwalk/Bridgeport there are not.

Kidyankee there are lots more choices in the New Haven area other than Milford/Orange/Woodbridge where you can get a nice house and good schools for a lower cost. And that is why it is not on the list of $100,000 and broke. You can be $80,000 and comfortable and that is why I will most likely end up in that area in retirement.

If you have any doubt just think about NEP's posts (and there were plenty) a SINGLE PERSON with no family lamenting the fact how hard he found FFC on $80,000.