City comparison
Meriden, CT is about 40 miles (70 km) from Norwalk, CT in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 60 miles, or about 56 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Meriden, CT to Norwalk, CT takes about 5 min, covering roughly 40 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Norwalk has a population of 91,050, vs 60,556 in Meriden — about 1.5× larger by population. By land area, Meriden covers about 24 sq mi vs 23 sq mi for Norwalk.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Meriden | Norwalk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,191/mo | $1,861/mo | 56.3% higher in Norwalk |
| Median home value | $199,100 | $491,800 | 147.0% higher in Norwalk |
| Median household income | $63,671 | $97,879 | 53.7% higher in Norwalk |
| Groceries index | 97.4 | 106.7 | 9.5% higher in Norwalk |
| Utilities index | 148.4 | 128.3 | 15.7% higher in Meriden |
| Transportation index | 101.0 | 104.3 | 3.2% higher in Norwalk |
| Healthcare index | 101.8 | 105.1 | 3.2% higher in Norwalk |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Meriden, you'd need $128,637 in Norwalk to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Meriden, CT is about 22.3% cheaper overall than Norwalk, CT, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 79% higher in Norwalk than in Meriden. If you earn $80,000 in Meriden, you'd need about $102,910 in Norwalk to keep the same standard of living.