One Of Connecticut's Most Affordable Cities Is A Riverside Oasis With A Median Household Income Below $60,000
East Hartford, Connecticut, offers an affordable cost of living, whether renting or buying, and easy access to the state capital just four miles away.
It's no secret that living in Connecticut is, well, not cheap. In fact, along with Massachusetts, you need to earn more in Connecticut than any other state to be considered in the top 1% of residents. That being said, there still are some affordable places to live in Connecticut and one of them is East Hartford. Redfin put East Hartford as second on the 2025 list of "10 Most Affordable Places to Live in Connecticut" with a median home price of $227,500 and median household income of just $59,954. For those looking to rent, Redfin puts the average 1-bedroom apartment price in East Hartford at $1,125, which is several hundred dollars less than the $1,642 average for 2025 rent across the rest of the United States.
Located just four miles from the nearest metro center of Hartford, East Hartford has some amazing local parks, such as Great River Park and Wickham Park, all of which are great places to picnic, exercise, and meet up with friends for free. With a population of 50,798 as of 2023, down 0.238% from the 2022, East Hartford is an affordable place to live in Connecticut that is not overcrowded.
The average cost of living in East Hartford
Anyone who is thinking of retiring in Connecticut will have plenty of options to choose from in terms of where they are living, from a small, picturesque town between a state park and country club to a riverside town nicknamed the "Submarine Capital Of The World." For anyone still working and looking to make a comfortable living, East Hartford is definitely the place in Connecticut to consider keeping your costs low with your quality of life high.
According to Best Places, East Hartford is a place where a family can live on $3,840 a month, 28.9% less than the national average and a single person can pay all their bills for just $3,733 a month, 21.7% below the average of the rest of the United States. When added up, that means no matter if you are single or have a family, you'll be paying between $44,800 and $46,080 a year to call East Hartford your home, which is 6.3% below the average cost of living compared to the other places in Connecticut.
Prices, rates, and rules change. This is reporting, not personal financial, tax, or investment advice.
