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The further up way from NYC you go, the less you will pay, generally speaking. We used to live in Greenwich, which is insanely expensive for most things (NYC or higher) but has far lower taxes. But the home prices reflect this.
Fairfield is much cheaper than Greenwich, NYC and Westchester for out of pocket expenses, no question. There is a lower pressure lifestyle as well in the Town of Fairfield, too. There is less of the NYC attitude that you find closer to the City.
I am sure the finer things in life are similarly expensive (e.g private school, cars etc), but for the average day to day things it is cheaper here.
I've been posting a lot recently as we get closer to putting our Westchester home on the market in order to move up to CT. Curious to know how the general affordability (home price aside) is up in Fairfield. We are looking to relocate from Southern Westchester. We are so disgusted with the prices of EVERYTHING down here....hoping it might be better in Fairfield. We have 2 young children so curious what the normal dance/music/gym class goes for. Personally I think anything more than $20-$25 for a toddler/preschool class is just nuts. Also curious about summer camps. Again, down here in Westchester they are INSANELY $$$. Hoping Fairfield is more down to earth with their prices, attitudes and more family friendly. THanks as always for all of your input!
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Hi Linda,
A few years ago I took the trek from SW to Fairfield (town of). I agree with Stylo: House price and taxes will be lower but that will be it. In fact a chunk of the tax savings will be eaten by:
1. More gas to get to places
2. Higher gas cost
3. Car taxes
Make sure you calculate your car tax so you don't get a bad surprise. They will tax you on 70% of the value of your car. Let's say that 70% of the value of your car is 21,000. You will multiply 21X22.47 (approved mill rate for the ToF/2012) and that will give you $471.87. They will let you pay in two installments if tax is over $100.
CT does not offer anything as the Star credit. I think they still credit you $250 to your income taxes for paying RE taxes but you have to be a full year resident.
In terms of utilities I felt the cost was about the same at times, or a bit more for electricity with the added burden of having to pay gas and electricity separate as they are two companies in CT. I never paid for heat/hot water in NY so I don't know how to compare that. Garbage is private in CT so homeowners must pay for garbage pick up as well.
Private school martial arts classes for kids start at around $125 per month. ToF offers soccer two seasons per year and it is dirt cheap. Managed by the Department of Parks, which also has a rather affordable camp during the summer. The Boys and Girls club in Southport offers affordable basketball and soccer as well as some art courses and it is very clean. Private summer camps are just as expensive in the ToF as in SW.
Food (supermarket) is about the same with the possibility of saving if willing to go to Bridgeport and buying at Pricerite.
Restaurants/Movies cost about the same. Movie theater in Fairfield is a bit run down/old so you get less for your money.
Young families looking for a more relaxed way of life to raise their kids like Fairfield a lot and seem to do well there despite the extra bills and the crazy traffic.
I don't know that I agree with this. Some things like restaurants in Fairfield will be more affordable. I also think that grocery prices will be less. Utilities will probably be less and while gas prices are higher, there are no tolls in Connecticut so it kind of balances out. Housing of course will be your biggest savings including property taxes. Just be sure to note that in Connecticut you pay property taxes on your automobiles. It still usually works out to be less here. Jay
There is a toll on I-95 which is the major shoreline roadway. If you lived in Rye and needed to drive into the city, you would likely have to pay the toll. And before you say it, yes they can avoid the toll by using local roads, but that is true anywhere and likely the OP would buy an EZPass anyways. That is not needed here in Connecticut. Jay
When you say Fairfield, I assume you are talking about the Town of Fairfield and not all of Fairfield County. As you get closer to New York, you do see a dramatic increase in prices. Fairfield seems to be the border of insane prices where you can still get a nice home at a decent price. I can't speak for the prices of preschool and classes (you can look those up on line) but I have noticed that the prices of things like food, restaurants and everyday items in Fairfield are not much more than here in the Hartford area.
As for the type of town it is, Fairfield is great. The town has a wide range of housing options from small starter apartments to grand estates. Because of this the town overall has a wide range of people from rich to poor. Plus Fairfield is a pretty large town with more than 50,000 people. A lot of what you will experience will depend where you end up living.
Fairfield has very pricey neighborhoods and very modest neighborhoods. You will get some snobs here and there but generally people are nice and down to earth. One of the friendliest neighborhoods I ever saw is in Fairfield (I have family on this street). I know people from New York that moved to Fairfield because it was more affordable but then stayed when their income improved significantly because they liked it so much. The best thing to do is get involved in local activities that interest you and try and meet people with similar interests. Jay
In your last paragraph, you could be talking about me. I moved to Fairfield because it was much more affordable, in terms of both home prices and taxes, than anything even remotely desireable in Westchester County, NY, where I used to live.
Now, I could afford to live in a nice section of Westchester, but I wouldn't go back there. I've come to prefer Fairfield vastly over where I used to live. It has become a lot more expensive than when I moved here, but so have all the alternatives, and the largest cost (the home price) is behind me. The town offers a lot more in amenities than where I used to live, with much lower taxes -- beaches, parks, good schools, rec programs, etc. I also found Fairfield to be the most economically diverse of the nicer towns. I didn't want to live in a town that was tainted by large scale public housing and the problems that come with that (like Norwalk and Stamford), but I didn't want to be in one of those uber-rich snooty towns like New Caanan, Greenwich, Darien, etc. Fairfield was really a perfect fit.
There is a toll on I-95 which is the major shoreline roadway. If you lived in Rye and needed to drive into the city, you would likely have to pay the toll. And before you say it, yes they can avoid the toll by using local roads, but that is true anywhere and likely the OP would buy an EZPass anyways. That is not needed here in Connecticut. Jay
It is for the tens of thousands of CT residents who drive that way.
There are probably more lower FFC residents who pay that toll than Westchesterites.
please elaborate on "tainted by large scale public housing...Norwalk + Stanford"
Quote:
Originally Posted by dazzleman
In your last paragraph, you could be talking about me. I moved to Fairfield because it was much more affordable, in terms of both home prices and taxes, than anything even remotely desireable in Westchester County, NY, where I used to live.
Now, I could afford to live in a nice section of Westchester, but I wouldn't go back there. I've come to prefer Fairfield vastly over where I used to live. It has become a lot more expensive than when I moved here, but so have all the alternatives, and the largest cost (the home price) is behind me. The town offers a lot more in amenities than where I used to live, with much lower taxes -- beaches, parks, good schools, rec programs, etc. I also found Fairfield to be the most economically diverse of the nicer towns. I didn't want to live in a town that was tainted by large scale public housing and the problems that come with that (like Norwalk and Stamford), but I didn't want to be in one of those uber-rich snooty towns like New Caanan, Greenwich, Darien, etc. Fairfield was really a perfect fit.
We are looking at Norwalk and Stamford as more affordable towns in which to purchase SFR with land in peaceful enviroment...your quote re: tainted and problems gives cause to pause and get clarity from you please? Thank you.
I don't want to speak for Dazzleman but I believe that he was referring to the fact that both Stamford and Norwalk have public housing projects that have bad reputations. Both of these communities are cities and have the typical issues you find in an urban area including crime, proverty and poorly performing schools. Despite this both of these communities have many nice safe neighborhoods. It is up to you if this is where you want to live. Jay
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please elaborate on "tainted by large scale public housing...Norwalk + Stanford"
