Bristol, Connecticut Cost Of Living

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D-

Overall 9%

Goods & Services 14%

Housing 1%

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Bristol	Connecticut	National
Cost of living	109	122	100
Goods & Services	114	118	100
Groceries	105	107	100
Health care	108	111	100
Housing	101	137	100
Transportation	104	111	100
Utilities	127	133	100

Key findings

The cost of living in Bristol is 11% lower than the Connecticut average
The cost of living in Bristol is 9% higher than the national average
Bristol housing is 1% higher than the national average
Connecticut general sales tax is 25% higher than the national average
Connecticut state income tax is 22% higher than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$81,374	$6,781	$1,899	$2,441
Renters	$32,906	$2,742	$768	$987

To approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Bristol, CT, we can look at the percentage of income that is available to be spent on monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side, a consumer should not spend more than 28% of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36% of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in Bristol have a median income of $81,374. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $1,899 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $32,906, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $768.

Connecticut Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Connecticut	6.35%	6.35%

Connecticut Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Connecticut	3%	6.99%

Goods & Services

Item	Bristol	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$31.40	$20.27	54.9%
Beauty Salon	$42.60	$40.39	5.5%
Toothpaste	$2.93	$2.36	24.2%
Shampoo	$0.98	$1.08	8.6%
Movie	$9.59	$10.99	12.7%
Bowling	$19.00	$15.49	22.7%

Groceries

Item	Bristol	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.97	$4.30	15.6%
Fried Chicken	$1.51	$1.40	7.7%
Milk	$3.42	$2.20	55.4%
Potatoes	$3.83	$3.22	19.1%
Pizza	$9.26	$10.74	13.8%
Beer	$9.30	$9.60	3.1%

Health Care

Item	Bristol	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$155.00	$109.73	41.3%
Doctor	$117.00	$118.34	1.1%
Dentist	$107.00	$100.94	6.0%
Ibuprofen	$9.39	$9.93	5.4%
Lipitor	$520.95	$469.53	11.0%

Housing

Item	Bristol	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$192,500.00	$184,700.00	4.2%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,114.85	$1,229.62	9.3%
Apartment Rent	$895.00	$949.00	5.7%

Transportation

Item	Bristol	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.66	$2.71	1.7%
Tire Balancing	$59.40	$51.86	14.5%

Utilities

Item	Bristol	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$255.89	$170.84	49.8%
Phone	$182.20	$187.18	2.7%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Waterbury, CT	109,211	104	4.1%
Blue Hills, CT	3,181	105	4.8%
New Britain, CT	72,876	105	5.3%
Hartford, CT	124,320	105	5.4%
Torrington, CT	35,227	105	5.5%
Bristol, CT	60,437	109	9.0%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Taylorsville, UT	60,448	102	2.0%
Rocklin, CA	60,509	135	34.7%
National City, CA	60,349	127	26.5%
West Allis, WI	60,543	90	9.7%
Auburn, AL	60,318	103	3.3%
Bristol, CT	60,437	109	9.0%

Source: This data reflects 2021 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.