Cost of Living
per year
per month
How New Britain's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in New Britain?
Your $100,000 in New Britain has the same purchasing power as $102,438 in the average US city. You'd need $2,438 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 New Britain's cost index of 98, sorted by closest match.
If you're weighing a move to New Britain, the short answer is that the city has a few genuine arguments going for it — most obviously housing is the bargain and lower-than-average crime numbers, plus 3 more things worth knowing. Here's the longer version.
Even if other categories track the national average in New Britain, housing comes in noticeably cheaper. Median rent is about $1,136/mo, and the housing sub-index lands at 84 (US avg = 100). That's where most of the day-to-day affordability difference shows up for newcomers.
New Britain reports about 2,469 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — a step below the US average of around 3,500. The citywide number averages over neighborhoods that can vary a lot, but the headline number is friendlier than most American cities of comparable size.
New Britain's Walk Score is 84/100 — top-tier walkability by US standards. Groceries, coffee, work, social life: most of it lands within reasonable foot range of wherever you live. A lot of residents skip car ownership entirely, which is its own form of savings on top of the lifestyle change. Transit Score comes in at 52/100 too, so even the trips that are too far to walk are usually doable on a bus or train.
New Britain's air quality index averages about 38 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
The average one-way commute in New Britain is about 22 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 New Britain'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.
Snow is just part of the winter in New Britain. Average temperatures around 20°F mean the ground stays covered from December well into March, and a snowblower is less optional than aspirational.
Cold enough to plan around. Winter in New Britain averages roughly 20°F, with stretches where daytime highs don't break freezing for weeks. Decent insulation, a real coat, and a car that starts in cold weather are non-negotiable.
Pleasantly warm. New Britain's summer averages around 77°F — comfortable for outdoor evenings, hot enough on peak days to warrant AC but mild compared to the Sun Belt.
Approximately USDA Hardiness Zone 7. That's the band gardeners use to pick plants — anything rated for Zone 7 or colder should survive a typical winter in New Britain. (The estimate is derived from our winter-temperature data; the official USDA map uses station-level annual minimums and may differ by half a zone.)
New Britain sits at about 217 feet (66 m) above sea level — low-lying, but with enough cushion that day-to-day life isn't affected by ocean levels.
Officially, Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, but most of the action lands between mid-August and mid-October. For New Britain, that's when to keep half an eye on the National Hurricane Center forecast cone — and when an actual evacuation plan is worth having in the drawer if you're in a low-lying or coastal neighborhood.
Average for an American city. New Britain's reported crime rate of about 2,469 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
Roughly average. New Britain's cost-of-living index is 98, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Yes — New Britain is one of the more walkable US cities. A Walk Score of 84/100 means most daily errands can be done on foot in most neighborhoods. Transit Score is 52 out of 100. Many residents go car-free comfortably.
Roughly $68,334 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 New Britain runs about $1,136/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.