Cost of Living in Hartford, CT, United States

Updated On July 14, 2023

How Much Does It Cost to Live In Hartford, CT?

Hartford is the capital of the state of Connecticut in the United States of America.

The area of Hartford is sometimes called the Knowledge Corridor because of its 29 colleges and universities and 120,000 college students.

New York and Boston are close to Hartford, which is yet another of Hartford’s good sides: this means you can go to these places during weekends by a quite cheap bus service.

The cost of living is high, yet lower compared to NY or Boston.

But eating out, shopping, etc. is a costly affair.

Cost of Living Index:
74.2
* Based on Research & User Data
Restaurants

RESTAURANTS

If you wander off to West Hartford, you’ll find that it’s an entirely different city, with tons of restaurants, being literally a magnet for young people.

Restaurants and pubs are often more expensive than in other Connecticut cities but you can always find a bunch of cheaper places without losing the quality of the food.

Markets

MARKETS

Food and groceries are on par with Brooklyn and Queens.

There are many grocery stores around.

If you know how to cook, you will find all the ingredients you need here which is great news because you can save a ton of money this way.

You should know that supermarkets keep basically the same prices as all the other stores in the country.

Transportation

TRANSPORTATION

The City of Hartford is working on connecting a bicycle lane network throughout the city which will help you save a lot of money you would otherwise spend on public transport.

Hartford has a very complete public transport system but it’s also a dense city with many destinations within walking distance, so you can walk to most places too.

Most commuting and transportation are cheaper when compared to owning a car.

Utilities

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

When it comes to utilities, be prepared to spend around 120$ per month for electricity, water, and gas.

When there’s heavy usage of utilities, like during winter or summer, the utility bill will likely double.

For an apartment around 85m2 (which is definitely bigger than a usual apartment for one or two people), these will cost you 180$ approximately.

Sports and leisure

SPORTS & LEISURE

Young people love to take care of themselves even on vacation, so a considerable part of their monthly salary is spent on sports activities.

A membership at the gym or a fitness club costs around 23$, and you can go to a cinema if you want to pay around 15$ per person for a cinema ticket.

Clothing and shoes

CLOTHING & SHOES

Westfarms Mall is a large and upscale regional mall with 1,000,000+ square feet of shopping and dining space.

You can only imagine that there are plenty of shops and boutiques here where you can buy clothing and accessories.

If you want a pair of Levi’s, it will cost you around 53$.

Quality sneakers cost around 80$.

Rent per month

RENT PER MONTH

Rent can get very expensive in Hartford, depending on what time of year you’re going and if you’re renting a flat or sharing an apartment (and a room) with someone, which would be a cheaper version.

For, example, living in the city center of the city will be very steep, while living on the outskirts will be beneficial for your wallet.

Cost of Living Averages Table for Hartford, CT

*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.
Average Restaurant Prices
Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant)$25.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter)$4.00
Water (0.33 Liter)$1.80
Average Market Prices
Milk (1 Liter)$1.31
Loaf Bread (500g)$4.04
Eggs (12)$4.59
Average Transport Prices
One Way Ticket$2.12
Monthly Pass$40.00
Gasoline$0.96
Average Utilities Prices
Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling)$178.47
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local$0.10
Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)$75.80
Average Leisure Prices
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult$23.67
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour)$21.00
Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release$15.00
Average Clothing Prices
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable)$53.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...)$28.4
1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range)$78.33
Average Rent Prices
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center$1916.67
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center$1300.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center$3350.00

How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Hartford, CT?

An average citizen of Hartford spends most of his or her money on food, in markets and grocery stores.

As mentioned, you can count on 200$ a week going on food, if you have a family.

One of the biggest expenses in Hartford is rent too since it can be pretty steep in certain areas, for example in the city center of Hartford.

Restaurants and transportation go side by side like in most countries – people like going to restaurants in Hartford and who can blame them?

Transportation, on the other hand, is one of the fundamental needs, regardless of the city you live in.

Average Costs Breakdown

15.8%
32.4%
6.5%
7.5%
3.2%
1.7%
32.9%

Hartford, CT: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages

There are lots of good-paying jobs here, especially in the insurance industry and Hartford is known for this.

The job market for the IT and insurance sectors is decent.

If you have desired skill, you will get a decent job.

And with a decent job, comes a decent salary: the average monthly salary in Hartford is around 2200$ which is a satisfying amount for any citizen.

This means that, luckily, people that live here can manage their salaries and live comfortably.

Rent is still pretty expensive in some parts of the city, compared to other expenses so, those that are renting will have a bigger problem managing their wages and salaries.

Average Salary$5050.00
Minimum Wage$1750.67
Mortgage Interest Rate6.65%

Hartford Safety Overview

READ THE FULL REPORT: Hartford Safety Review

Safety Index:
48
  • OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
  • TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
  • PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
  • NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
  • MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
  • TERRORISM RISK: LOW
  • SCAMS RISK: LOW
  • WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM

Cost of Living by City in Hartford, CT

CityCost of Living Index
Albany, NY72.4
Albuquerque, NM72.4
Anchorage, AK72.4
Ann Arbor, MI72.4
Arlington, TX72.4
Asheville, NC72.4
Atlanta, GA72.4
Austin, TX72.4
Bakersfield, CA72.4
Baltimore, MD72.4
Bellevue, WA72.4
Bellingham, WA72.4
Berkeley, CA72.4
Birmingham, AL72.4
Boise, ID72.4
Boston, MA72.4
Boulder, CO72.4
Brooklyn, NY72.4
Buffalo, NY72.4
Burlington, VT72.4
Charleston, SC72.4
Charlotte, NC73.33
Chattanooga, TN72.4
Chicago, IL72.4
Cincinnati, OH72.4
Cleveland, OH72.4
Columbia, SC72.4
Columbus, OH72.4
Dallas, TX72.4
Dayton, OH72.4
Denver, CO72.4
Des Moines, IA72.4
Detroit, MI72.4
El Paso, TX72.4
Eugene, OR72.4
Everett, WA72.4
Fayetteville, AR72.4
Fort Myers, FL72.4
Fort Wayne, IN72.4
Fort Worth, TX72.4
Fresno, CA74.2
Gainesville, FL74.2
Grand Rapids, MI74.2
Greensboro, NC74.2
Honolulu, HI74.2
Houston, TX74.2
Huntsville, AL74.2
Indianapolis, IN74.2
Irvine, CA74.2
Jacksonville, FL74.2
Jersey City, NJ74.2
Kansas City, MO74.2
Knoxville, TN74.2
Las Vegas, NV74.2
Lexington, KY74.2
Little Rock, AR74.2
Long Beach, CA74.2
Los Angeles, CA74.2
Louisville, KY74.2
Lubbock, TX74.2
Madison, WI74.2
Memphis, TN74.2
Miami, FL74.2
Milwaukee, WI74.2
Minneapolis, MN74.2
Nashville, TN74.2
New Orleans, LA74.2
New York, NY74.2
Oakland, CA74.2
Oklahoma City, OK74.2
Olympia, WA74.2
Orlando, FL74.2
Peoria, IL72.4
Philadelphia, PA72.4
Phoenix, AZ72.4
Pittsburgh, PA72.4
Portland, ME72.4
Portland, OR72.4
Raleigh, NC72.4
Reno, NV72.4
Richmond, VA74.2
Rochester, NY74.2
Sacramento, CA74.2
Saint Louis, MO74.2
Saint Paul, MN74.2
Saint Petersburg, FL74.2
Salem, OR74.2
Salt Lake City, UT74.2
San Antonio, TX74.2
San Diego, CA74.2
San Francisco, CA74.2
San Jose, CA74.2
Santa Barbara, CA74.2
Santa Rosa, CA74.2
Seattle, WA74.2
Spokane, WA74.2
Springfield, MO74.2
Syracuse, NY74.2
Tacoma, WA74.2
Tallahassee, FL74.2
Tampa, FL74.2
Toledo, OH74.2
Tucson, AZ74.2
Tulsa, OK74.2
Vancouver, WA74.2
Virginia Beach, VA74.2
Washington, DC74.2
West Palm Beach, FL74.2
Wichita, KS74.2

Where to Next?

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Or, browse the country/city indexes:

Cost of Living - Country Index Cost of Living - City Index

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