In a new ranking of the country’s most expensive cities, Hartford tops the list, ahead of places like New York and Los Angeles.
US News and World Reports “The most expensive places to live in the USA” Hartford came in first, ahead of New York, New Haven, Miami and Los Angeles. But real estate prices weren’t the only factor used to calculate the cost of living in each city, according to a reporter who worked on the list.
US news reporter Erika Giovanetti said she looked at the data holistically.
“We look at both income and housing costs. Hartford ranks at the top of our list in terms of the percentage of income spent on housing,” Giovanetti said. “So that’s the real reason Hartford is the most expensive place to live.”
According to a current analysis from the Connecticut Advocacy Group Partnership for strong communities, More than half of Hartford’s renters are considered cost bearers because they spend 30% or more of their income on housing.
Giovanetti said U.S. News and World Report relied on data from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Department of Labor, the Census Bureau and its own public survey of the best places to live for 2024-25. The data also focused on cities, not metropolitan areas, which would have included data from surrounding suburbs.
“Hartford is the most expensive city for three main reasons: low income, high cost of living and poor price parity. And price parity is the comparison of the cost of living between different cities,” Giovanetti said.
The Cost of living in Hartford is higher than the national average, she said, and goods and services are more expensive than in other cities.
This, along with lower incomes, resulted in the cities of Hartford and New Haven in Connecticut being among the five most expensive places to live.
“Hartford doesn’t do particularly well in the labor market category. The unemployment rate is about twice the national average,” Giovanetti said.
The rankings are the result of another list Giovanetti helped create that highlighted the best places to live, designed to provide guidance for people considering buying a home or moving to a new location.
“Another factor to consider when looking at cost is not just the high demand and the high cost, but the labor market of the place you want to live, the income you expect and the stability you have if you’re unemployed,” she said. “Hartford just didn’t do that well.”
