[kidyankee764]

Grand Forks to Hartford would require a significant bump in income to maintain the same standard of living. Prepare yourself for housing sticker shock, utility rate sticker shock, and very high property, income, vehicle and other taxes. CT just ranked as having the second highest property taxes in the nation (avg taxes paid on home at state median value), just behind New Jersey.

I don't agree with Stylo when he claims the quality of life in CT will be superior. It can be, but that depends on the person.

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Sure it is, if you limit your house budget. Not everyone has to live in a larger home in an affluent town. There's many affordable areas in the Hartford metro where you can get a respectable 3BR for $200k. Even less for condos.

I live in Fairfield County where you need to have a household income of at least $100,000. But I have lots of friends and relatives living outside of FFC with HH incomes of $70,000 to $80,000 living wonderful middle class lives. Some of the people who say you need much more than the average of $71,000 HHI are living in the wealthy towns outside if FFC. And yes there are quite a lot of those. But there are many nice middle class towns outside of FFC in CT.

[hvexpatinct]

The median family income in CT is $91K. The median household income is $65K and includes a lot of seniors living on fixed incomes.

That said, there are definitely towns commutable to Hartford where a family can do okay on $80K, particularly if that is a single income, as childcare costs here are quite high. You might not have everything you want, but you can have everything you need with a little breathing room.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by CTartist

I live in Fairfield County where you need to have a household income of at least $100,000. But I have lots of friends and relatives living outside of FFC with HH incomes of $70,000 to $80,000 living wonderful middle class lives. Some of the people who say you need much more than the average of $71,000 HHI are living in the wealthy towns outside if FFC. And yes there are quite a lot of those. But there are many nice middle class towns outside of FFC in CT.

I can't even think of a way a family can live on 70-80k in CT and live a "wonderful middle class life".

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

I can't even think of a way a family can live on 70-80k in CT and live a "wonderful middle class life".

That is because the Fairfield County "keeping up with the Jonses" perception is a corrupting influence even outside of FFC.

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by hvexpatinct

The median family income in CT is $91K. The median household income is $65K and includes a lot of seniors living on fixed incomes.

"The current median household income for Connecticut is $71,346. Real median household income peaked in 2008 at $75,513 and is now $4,167 (5.52%) lower."


Connecticut State Household Income | Department of Numbers

Is everyone on this board saying that you can't be happy outside of Fairfield County if your household income is $71,346? And you know the wealthy towns in FFC are pulling up that $71,346 average. Outside of FFC the reality is that the household income must lower than that if you understand basic math.

Here is what I am going to do to settle this once and for all. I will come up with an HHI average not including Fairfield County to shatter the myth that you must make $100,000 or more in Connecticut to live. It will take some time but I will do it.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by CTartist

That is because the Fairfield County "keeping up with the Jonses" perception is a corrupting influence even outside of FFC.

Sorry but it is reality, not perception. With that income, anywhere in CT, a family is going to have a difficult time making ends meet. Think about it, after taxes and deductions, you're talking less than 5,000 a month take home pay.

2000 for rent/mortgage
500 utilities (including internet, cable, etc) - perhaps higher in winter
400-500 groceries
250 car payment/500 for 2 car payments
~200 month for gas/~400-500 for 2 vehicles (for a short commute)

You now have less than $250 a week for misc. expenses. Of that, you have to budget to pay car tax on both vehicles, misc child expenses (school, extracurriculars), clothing, etc.

If a "nice little middle class life" means living paycheck to paycheck, then I agree, many people do it.

[ayoskillz]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

I can't even think of a way a family can live on 70-80k in CT and live a "wonderful middle class life".

I agree. Why move to a state to live pay check to pay check which will be the case for a family of 4 of 70k+ income. I too know people in wallingford and North haven that live on a 60k income and live good but the house where giving to one of them and the other one ran into large sum of money once their parents deceased, but moving to ct with that income would be hard. If your car needs repaired that will put you in a bind. House needs repaired is another.

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by ayoskillz

I agree. Why move to a state to live pay check to pay check which will be the case for a family of 4 of 70k+ income.

The entire middle class all over the country is living pay check to paycheck. CT is no different.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by CTartist

The entire middle class all over the country is living pay check to paycheck. CT is no different.

I agree. It is just a fact of life. People do a lot of different things to make ends meet. And that is true everywhere. Jay