[leedspaddy]

Hey folks, I currently live in the backward and hillbilly state of Vermont and I am looking to escape. My wife and I are looking at a few options including living in CT and working in NYC, or working in Boston and living in NH or going back to Maryland where we originally moved from. I am split on the first 2 and totally against the final option. Anyway, I own a large house here in VT worth $320K. When I did an initial search in CT using the same price range, the best I could come up with was the equilvalent of a garden shed!!!! This leads me to my question, do the salaries generally in CT and or NYC keep up with the cost of living in CT. The problem of salaries falling behind the cost of living and the obvious lack of jobs, are the main reasons we are looking to leave Vermont............oh yeah also VT people are generally weird and have treated my wife as an outsider from day one which blows my mind considering I am from the UK. Anyway, any help and advice on CT would be very much appreciated.
Cheers,
Patrick

[mels]

The area that gives you an easy commute into NYC (Fairfield County) is very expensive. The rest of the state is nowhere near as expensive. As for being the most expensive in New England? I would put Fairfield County on par with areas around Boston.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by mels

The area that gives you an easy commute into NYC (Fairfield County) is very expensive. The rest of the state is nowhere near as expensive. As for being the most expensive in New England? I would put Fairfield County on par with areas around Boston.

Agreed. One has to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges. Western Massachusetts would be comparable to Eastern Connecticut. Fairfield County (Conn.) would be similar to the Greater Boston area.

I have heard, though, that the People's Republic of Massachusetts has the highest resident tax burden of any state.

[leedspaddy]

Well if I get a job in Boston, I would most certainly live in NH and commute. After doing my initial house search in Fairfield county, I soon realised that it would be way too expensive. So is it common for people to commute to NYC from outside of Fairfield county and would it make sense to even consider doing that. I took a look at Milford in New Haven county and saw that it is possible to get a train to Grand central in 90 minutes. Is this a reasonable alternative to Fairfield county or is it just too far for most people?

[newlysgl]

Milford would be a pretty miserable commute to NYC. You would spend half your life on the train.

A friend of mine commutes to NYC from Ridgefield CT (he drives to Purdys station in NY state). it's about 1.5hrs each way commute if you include the drive to the station.. but at least it's one straight thru train.

Depends what kind of work you do. There is a lot of employment opportunity in the financial industry around Stamford, Greenwich (hedge fund central), and some in Wilton and Norwalk, Danbury.. Stamford/Greenwich pays better generally. Check out fairfieldcountyjobs.com that might be helpful when trying to determine salary.

[JViello]

Have you considered the Hartford area?

It's a major and world class city, with easy access to both Boston and NYC for day tripping etc and the cost of living is much lower than Fairfield county. You still get that New England feel while being attached to a major city.

Just a thought.

[uconn99]

I agree, look into the Hartford area. There are many financial jobs and of course Insurance is always big. The city is nice and only getting better. Think of Providence and how they turned around.


Also, you could commute from Milford into NYC, it is doable and the train ride really isn't bad, just bring a book, iPod, or sleep. Many many people do that kind of commute.

Providence into Boston is only 1 hour train ride with multiple trains leaving rush-hour, consider that as well.

[westguy22]

Originally Posted by newlysgl

Milford would be a pretty miserable commute to NYC. You would spend half your life on the train.

A friend of mine commutes to NYC from Ridgefield CT (he drives to Purdys station in NY state). it's about 1.5hrs each way commute if you include the drive to the station.. but at least it's one straight thru train.

Depends what kind of work you do. There is a lot of employment opportunity in the financial industry around Stamford, Greenwich (hedge fund central), and some in Wilton and Norwalk, Danbury.. Stamford/Greenwich pays better generally. Check out fairfieldcountyjobs.com that might be helpful when trying to determine salary.

Milford isn't that bad of a commute to NYC. It's abut the same distance commuting from the Purdys station you mentioned.

In fact, it may be even easier to commute from Milford instead of living in Ridgefield and commuting from Purdys. The train drops you off right in downtown Milford, minutes from anywhere in town. There are a few neighborhoods within walking distance from the station.

As for CT being the most expensive? I'd say yes, with Massachusetts a close second.

[mels]

Milford is 90 minutes to Grand Central on Metro North. Factor in commute from there to your office and the time it takes you to get to the train station from your home then decide if it is worth it. It is a long commute but many people do it. Also keep in mind that parking at many of the train stations is a nightmare. Milford has a very long waiting list (as in years) to get a spot.

[archimedic905]

Originally Posted by uconn99

Providence into Boston is only 1 hour train ride with multiple trains leaving rush-hour, consider that as well.

That's 1 hour if your job is close to Back Bay or South Station. I have lived in Mansfield which is halfway to Providence on the same train line, and have done the train ride for about a year and a 1/2. Since I need to switch to the subway my commute is an hour, from providence it would be an hour and a half. Be sure you know what you are getting into with the MBTA, the trains are often crowded, short cars, hot, cold or late. Not to mention if you work past 6:30 you might not be able to catch a train until 8:00.

I have had it with the train commute and we are moving to Hartford, I'm going to leave home early, miss traffic drive 20 mins, hit a downtown gym and be at my desk nice and cheery at 8:00. On the way home I'll be able to run errands or hit the grocery store, not be trapped in a silver & purple coffin.