Waterbury vs New Haven leftover
Moving to New Haven costs you $357 a month
$2,277/mo leftover in New Haven vs $2,634 in Waterbury after tax and rent ($357 less). −$4,284 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Waterbury leftover
$2,634
a month after tax and rent
New Haven leftover
$2,277
−$357 vs Waterbury
Compare Waterbury to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Waterbury.
Monthly gap
Waterbury → New Haven
$357
less / month in Waterbury
$2,277 in New Haven · $2,634 in Waterbury · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 1,515 households moved Waterbury → New Haven (avg AGI $63,966). 1,655 went the other way. The whole move →
−$357 / mo
| Per month | Waterbury | New Haven | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,167 | $7,980 | −$187 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,109 | $2,044 | −$66 |
| Take-home pay | $6,057 | $5,936 | −$121 |
| Rent | $1,362 | $1,655 | +$293 |
| Getting around | $581 | $524 | −$57 |
| Groceries | $408 | $408 | $0 |
| Healthcare | $459 | $459 | $0 |
| Utilities | $255 | $255 | $0 |
| Everything else | $357 | $357 | $0 |
| Left over | $2,634 | $2,277 | −$357 |
To break even in New Haven, you'd need to earn
$102,500
Household gross, versus $98,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Waterbury does now.
The tax difference alone
+$123
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 25.8% in Waterbury, 25.6% in New Haven.
More about New Haven
Waterbury, CT in full
State income tax topping out at 6.99%, a median 2-bedroom estimated asking rent of $1,621 and 196 sunny days; commutes average 28 minutes.
New Haven, CT in full
State income tax topping out at 6.99%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,970 and 201 sunny days; commutes average 24 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from New Haven on New Haven wages.
New Haven → Waterbury →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in New Haven than Waterbury?
A one-bedroom is about $1,362 in Waterbury versus $1,655 in New Haven. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $357 a month lower in New Haven. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does New Haven have state income tax?
New Haven is in Connecticut, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Waterbury to New Haven?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Connecticut tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Waterbury and New Haven moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.