Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Fairfield's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Fairfield?
Your $100,000 in Fairfield has the same purchasing power as $108,050 in the average US city. You'd need $8,050 less here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Fairfield's cost index of 93, sorted by closest match.
Wondering whether you should move to Fairfield? It depends on what you're optimizing for, but the city has real arguments in its favor: your dollar carries more weight here and crime statistics come out reassuring, plus 1 more things worth knowing. The data behind each is below.
Fairfield sits at 93 on the composite cost-of-living index — about 7% under the national average. Not the cheapest place in the country, but enough of a discount to notice on rent and groceries every month. Median rent in town runs about $1,096/mo against a typical household income of $67,182, which is the kind of ratio that leaves room to save.
Fairfield reports roughly 0 crime incidents per 100,000 residents, well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. As always, citywide numbers paper over real differences between neighborhoods — but the broader trend here is on the calmer end of the US distribution.
The average one-way commute in Fairfield is about 24 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
Reasons are pulled from Fairfield's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Fairfield gets a handful of meaningful snow days each year. Winters average about 26°F — cold enough for several inches at a time, warm enough for everything to melt between storms.
Cold but workable. Winter in Fairfield averages about 26°F — colder than the national norm, mild compared to the upper Midwest. A solid coat handles most days; the genuine cold snaps are short.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Fairfield runs about 85°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Fairfield falls in roughly USDA Zone 8. The zone classification is based on average annual minimum temperatures, so it's the right lookup for whether perennials and trees will overwinter here. Note that this is approximate from our winter-temperature data — check the USDA map for the exact zone before betting an expensive plant on it.
Fairfield is at about 627 feet (191 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
By the numbers, yes. Fairfield reports roughly 0 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. The big caveat applies as always: every city has neighborhoods that look nothing like the citywide average. But the citywide average here is genuinely good.
Roughly average. Fairfield's cost-of-living index is 93, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Not really — Fairfield is built around the car. Its Walk Score of 10 out of 100 means almost every errand is a drive. Transit Score is 15 out of 100. Living without a car is technically possible but real work; most residents wouldn't try it.
Roughly $64,785 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Fairfield runs about $1,096/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.