Is it More Expensive to Live in Westchester or Connecticut? - Suburbs 101

Are you thinking of moving to the New York suburbs? Chances are you are looking at both Westchester County and Connecticut’s Fairfield County. Should you live in Rye or should cross the Connecticut border to Greenwich, CT which is only 8 minutes away? You know taxes are higher in Westchester County than Connecticut but how much higher is it really? We decided to compare the cost of living between Westchester and Connecticut by taking a look at two scenarios and pricing out the cost of living for a family of four in Scarsdale, NY versus the cost of living for a family of four in Greenwich, CT. Is it more expensive to live in Westchester or Connecticut?

In order to compare apples to apples, we kept both scenarios similar. We compared the monthly expenses of a family of four with two working parents and similar childcare arrangements and similar commute. The only difference is the location of the house. One family lives in Westchester County’s Scarsdale, NY (Scarsdale School District Home) and the other one lives in Connecticut’s Greenwich, CT. Both homes are around 3800 square feet with similar price points. We assume the same dwelling replacement value for both homes so the homeowner’s insurance are the same. The mortgage loan amount for both homes are the same to keep the monthly payment apples to apples.

How Much Does It Cost for a Family of Four to Live in Greenwich, CT?

We are going to price out the cost of living for a family of four in Greenwich. One child is in daycare and the other one is enrolled in the local public school. The older child is enrolled in after school enrichment 2x a week. The family has a housekeeper that comes in once a week. They live in a 3800 square feet home on a 0.36-acre lot. They have a 30 year mortgage on their $999,000* home (loan amount of $799,200) with taxes of $10,445 a year and homeowners insurance of $3000 a year. They have 2 cars. Dad commutes into the city every day while mom drives to her office in Greenwich. They have a family membership at a local gym. According to our Greenwich Cost of Living Calculator, it will cost the family of four $10,308.44 per month to live in Greenwich.

*Home price, real estate taxes, square feet and lot size is based on an actual home in Greenwich, CT.

How Much Does it Cost for a family of four to Live in Scarsdale, NY?

Let’s price out the cost of living for a family of four in Westchester with one child in daycare and the other one enrolled in the local public school. The older child is enrolled in after school enrichment programs 2x a week. The family has a housekeeper that comes in to clean the house once a week. They live in a 3800 square feet home on a 0.17-acre lot. They have a 30 year mortgage on their $999,000 home* (loan amount is $799,200) with taxes of $28,500 a year and homeowners insurance of $3000 a year. They have 2 cars. Dad takes the Metro-North train and commutes into the city every day while mom drives to her office in Westchester. And they have a family membership at a local gym. According to our Westchester Cost of Living Calculator, it will cost the family of four $11,832.44 per month to live in Westchester.

*Home price, real estate taxes, square feet and lot size is based on an actual home in Scarsdale, NY.

Is it More Expensive to Live in Westchester or Connecticut?

You probably guessed it. It is more expensive to live in Westchester than in Connecticut. Using our examples above, it costs $10,308.44 per month for a family of four to live in Greenwich, CT while it costs $11,832.44 per month for a family of four to live in Scarsdale, NY. The difference is a hefty $1,524 per month. This is due to the high Westchester property taxes. For a similarly priced home, it costs the Westchester family $28,500 a year in real estate taxes while the Connecticut family only pays $10,445 a year in real estate taxes. There is also a slight difference in Metro-North commute expenses (train ticket and train station parking expenses), it cost $420 per month for the Westchester family while it only costs $336 per month for the Connecticut family. The commute to New York City may be shorter by 15-20 minutes each way from Westchester but you are paying much higher property taxes costing you $1,524 per month or $18,288 per year!

Monthly Cost of Living Expenses	Westchester	Connecticut
Metro North Commute	$420	$336
Cars (2 cars)	$1278	$1278
Housekeeper (1x a week)	$600	$600
Daycare (1 child)	$2000	$2000
After School Enrichment (2x a week)	$288	$288
Family Gym Membership	$300	$300
Mortgage (home price of $999,000 with loan amount of $799,200 at 3.5% for 30 years)	$3588.77	$3588.77
Real Estate Taxes	$2375	$870
Homeowner’s Insurance	$250	$250
Home Maintenance	$732.67	$797.67
Total Monthly Expense	$11,832.44	$10,308.44

It is More Expensive to live in Westchester than Connecticut

In conclusion, it is more expensive to live in Westchester than in Connecticut. This is because of real estate taxes. Real Estate taxes in Westchester are a lot higher than the real estate taxes in Connecticut. In our example above, real estate taxes in Westchester is more than twice the real estate taxes in Connecticut.

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About Suburbs 101

Suburbs 101 is an online lifestyle guide for the New York Suburbs of Westchester County, Long Island, Fairfield County and Northern New Jersey.  Get the inside scoop on what it’s really like to live in the New York suburbs through our interviews with local suburbanites and features on Food, Fashion, Home, Travel, and Local Events. Be sure to Follow Us on Instagram, Like Us on Facebook and subscribe to our Monthly Newsletter.

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