Moving to Hartford

RoninSirPuppyPup

I'm doing some research about CT because we're itching for a move. Hartford seems like a place we would enjoy.

Currently the cost of living where we live is pretty average. Fi makes about 40,000 a year, I'm a SAHM and we get by. Things are tight but we enjoy our lifestyle.

We're wondering if 40,000 would be sufficient income for a family of 3. Also, what are some neighborhoods in the hartford (or really in CT anywhere) that would be affordable but not trashy/dangerous?

Any other advice is welcome.

KFAW63012

You want to stay out of Fairfield County as it is much too expensive. What does your husband do? Maybe out here he'd be making more? 40,000 is going to be real real tight in CT. In fact, I'm really not sure if it's possible for a family of 3. If it is, its going to take a lot of work to make it.

Vanessa630

IMO, it'd be really tough.  CT is one of the most expensive states. Like PP said, sometimes that means his salary might increase but I don't know with today's job market. 

Karebear852k3

Well, it depends on what career your FI is in that he is making $40k in Utah.  I'm not sure what the cost-of-living difference is between the 2 states, but CT is notoriously costly to live in and if that $40k is what he would be making in his job over here, that would be pretty tight for a family of 3.  You shoudl check into what his salary would equate to over here...

You can look into communities in Eastern CT outside of Hartford (Tolland county), Eastern CT (especially northeastern CT) is a little less costly to live in.  You could also look into communities north of Hartford, too.  Anything west or south of Hartford is kind of where it can get more pricey too.

Good luck.

RoninSirPuppyPup

He's build websites. So he's looking into that industry right now. He also supplements with freelance work. 40 is his salary though so it's what we budget off of. I'll find one of the Cost of living calculators and see what he'd have to make.  I don't know why that didn't occor to me.

mwitter80

Anything below $54k in CT is considered poverty level. It would be very tight. The cost of living between Cedar City and Hartford is exactly that $14k. So someone making $40k in Utah would need to make $54k in Hartford. Hartford is a very urban area. It has more than 4x the national average in murder ever year, also 4x more robbery, and 3x more violent crime than the national averages.  

There are amazing parts of Hartford that are very high end and wonderful. You need to make sure you're in the right area.

christikao

Like PP's said, $40k or even $50k is not enough for 3 ppl in CT. It is ridiculously expensive (http://www.cnbc.com/id/38148092/States_With_the_Highest_Cost_of_Living?slide=6).

 Have you looked into New Hampshire? NH doesn't have income tax and sales tax. 

rswan412

Ditto PP- CT is EXPENSIVE, FI and I can barely get by on combined incomes....

check out northeastern CT (putnam, Brooklyn, Killingly)...it is less expensive than the shore...also check out the CT/MA border...I live right on the border, and I go into MA for my gas and groceries (HUGE DIFFERENCE!) to save some money. For example, gas in my area is $3.99, I got gas today in MA for $3.67!

Nickivegan

My parents live out in the northeast corner of CT, and love it. The only downside is the commute to other places like Hartford can be 45 minutes.

Its nice and quiet, you can get land, and a lot cheaper than Central CT, or Fairfield County as PPs have said. AND you can get to the MA border for cheap gas and cheaper groceries (as small town markets are a bit more in the area, and the closest big chain supermarket is about 20 minutes away). 

GL and keep us posted!