Cost of Living in Hartford, CT, United States

Updated On February 20, 2026
Hartford, Connecticut, USA Downtown Skyline
Cost of Living Index:
74.2
* Based on Research & User Data

United States FlagUnited States : Cost of Living by City

Cost of Living in United States

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 Breakdown in Hartford, CT

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.

Average Restaurant Prices
Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) $25.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) $4.00
Water (0.33 Liter) $1.80
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.

Average Market Prices
Milk (1 Liter) $1.31
Loaf Bread (500g) $4.04
Eggs (12) $4.59
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.

Average Transport Prices
One Way Ticket $2.12
Monthly Pass $40.00
Gasoline $0.96
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.

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
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.

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
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$.

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
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.

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 RISKMEDIUM
TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISKLOW
PICKPOCKETS RISKMEDIUM
NATURAL DISASTERS RISKMEDIUM
MUGGING RISKMEDIUM
TERRORISM RISKLOW
SCAMS RISKLOW
WOMEN TRAVELERS RISKMEDIUM
TAP WATER RISKLOW

Cost of Living by City in United States

City Cost of Living Index
United States FlagAlbany, NY 72.4
United States FlagAlbuquerque, NM 72.4
United States FlagAnchorage, AK 72.4
United States FlagAnn Arbor, MI 72.4
United States FlagArlington, TX 72.4
United States FlagAsheville, NC 72.4
United States FlagAtlanta, GA 72.4
United States FlagAustin, TX 72.4
United States FlagBakersfield, CA 72.4
United States FlagBaltimore, MD 72.4
United States FlagBellevue, WA 72.4
United States FlagBellingham, WA 72.4
United States FlagBerkeley, CA 72.4
United States FlagBirmingham, AL 72.4
United States FlagBoise, ID 72.4
United States FlagBoston, MA 72.4
United States FlagBoulder, CO 72.4
United States FlagBrooklyn, NY 72.4
United States FlagBuffalo, NY 72.4
United States FlagBurlington, VT 72.4
United States FlagCharleston, SC 72.4
United States FlagCharlotte, NC 73.33
United States FlagChattanooga, TN 72.4
United States FlagChicago, IL 72.4
United States FlagCincinnati, OH 72.4
United States FlagCleveland, OH 72.4
United States FlagColumbia, SC 72.4
United States FlagColumbus, OH 72.4
United States FlagDallas, TX 72.4
United States FlagDayton, OH 72.4
United States FlagDenver, CO 72.4
United States FlagDes Moines, IA 72.4
United States FlagDetroit, MI 72.4
United States FlagEl Paso, TX 72.4
United States FlagEugene, OR 72.4
United States FlagEverett, WA 72.4
United States FlagFayetteville, AR 72.4
United States FlagFort Myers, FL 72.4
United States FlagFort Wayne, IN 72.4
United States FlagFort Worth, TX 72.4
United States FlagFresno, CA 74.2
United States FlagGainesville, FL 74.2
United States FlagGrand Rapids, MI 74.2
United States FlagGreensboro, NC 74.2
United States FlagHonolulu, HI 74.2
United States FlagHouston, TX 74.2
United States FlagHuntsville, AL 74.2
United States FlagIndianapolis, IN 74.2
United States FlagIrvine, CA 74.2
United States FlagJacksonville, FL 74.2
United States FlagJersey City, NJ 74.2
United States FlagKansas City, MO 74.2
United States FlagKnoxville, TN 74.2
United States FlagLas Vegas, NV 74.2
United States FlagLexington, KY 74.2
United States FlagLittle Rock, AR 74.2
United States FlagLong Beach, CA 74.2
United States FlagLos Angeles, CA 74.2
United States FlagLouisville, KY 74.2
United States FlagLubbock, TX 74.2
United States FlagMadison, WI 74.2
United States FlagMemphis, TN 74.2
United States FlagMiami, FL 74.2
United States FlagMilwaukee, WI 74.2
United States FlagMinneapolis, MN 74.2
United States FlagNashville, TN 74.2
United States FlagNew Orleans, LA 74.2
United States FlagNew York, NY 74.2
United States FlagOakland, CA 74.2
United States FlagOklahoma City, OK 74.2
United States FlagOlympia, WA 74.2
United States FlagOrlando, FL 74.2
United States FlagPeoria, IL 72.4
United States FlagPhiladelphia, PA 72.4
United States FlagPhoenix, AZ 72.4
United States FlagPittsburgh, PA 72.4
United States FlagPortland, ME 72.4
United States FlagPortland, OR 72.4
United States FlagRaleigh, NC 72.4
United States FlagReno, NV 72.4
United States FlagRichmond, VA 74.2
United States FlagRochester, NY 74.2
United States FlagSacramento, CA 74.2
United States FlagSaint Louis, MO 74.2
United States FlagSaint Paul, MN 74.2
United States FlagSaint Petersburg, FL 74.2
United States FlagSalem, OR 74.2
United States FlagSalt Lake City, UT 74.2
United States FlagSan Antonio, TX 74.2
United States FlagSan Diego, CA 74.2
United States FlagSan Francisco, CA 74.2
United States FlagSan Jose, CA 74.2
United States FlagSanta Barbara, CA 74.2
United States FlagSanta Rosa, CA 74.2
United States FlagSeattle, WA 74.2
United States FlagSpokane, WA 74.2
United States FlagSpringfield, MO 74.2
United States FlagSyracuse, NY 74.2
United States FlagTacoma, WA 74.2
United States FlagTallahassee, FL 74.2
United States FlagTampa, FL 74.2
United States FlagToledo, OH 74.2
United States FlagTucson, AZ 74.2
United States FlagTulsa, OK 74.2
United States FlagVancouver, WA 74.2
United States FlagVirginia Beach, VA 74.2
United States FlagWashington, DC 74.2
United States FlagWest Palm Beach, FL 74.2
United States FlagWichita, KS 74.2

Where to Next?

Or, browse the country/city indexes:

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

1 Review on Hartford, CT

  1. It’s nice to hear about Hartford’s connection to New York and Boston, especially with affordable bus options for a weekend getaway. But I have to agree, the cost of living can be quite a strain, especially when it comes to dining and shopping. It’s tough to find that balance between enjoying what the city offers and keeping an eye on the budget!

Hartford, CT Rated 4 / 5 based on 1 user reviews.

Share Your Experience

Share
Facebook Pinterest Review
1