City comparison
Bakersfield, CA vs New Haven, CT
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in New Haven, CT are 3.6% higher than in Bakersfield, CA. Someone earning $100,000 in Bakersfield, CA would need about $103,600 in New Haven, CT to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,591 a month in New Haven, CT versus $1,140 in Bakersfield, CA. On $100,000, that's 25% of take-home pay in New Haven, CT and 18% in Bakersfield, CA.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $1,145 a year higher in Bakersfield, CA than in New Haven, CT.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +1.1% moving from Bakersfield, CA to New Haven, CT ($124,085 → $125,431), while prices change by +3.6%. Net effect of the transfer: −2.5% in real buying power.
- Bakersfield, CA: price level 100.9 (about average)
- New Haven, CT: price level 104.6 (pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Bakersfield, CA | New Haven, CT | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 100.9 | 104.6 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $103,641 in New Haven | $96,487 in Bakersfield |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,140/mo | $1,591/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $74,110 | $75,255 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $5,070 (CA) | $3,925 (CT) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 18% | 25% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $47,470 | $60,060 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA | New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA |
Rent areas: Bakersfield-Delano, CA MSA and New Haven, CT MSA. Metro areas: Bakersfield-Delano, CA and New Haven, CT.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Bakersfield | New Haven |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 90.3 | 124.3 |
| Goods | 105.2 | 97.3 |
| Utilities | 158.3 | 144.8 |
| Other services | 100.3 | 102.7 |
| Overall | 100.9 | 104.6 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Bakersfield, CA → New Haven, CT
Same pay buys less
Buying power −3.5%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax −$1,145/yr.
57 Fair offer
New Haven, CT → Bakersfield, CA
Same pay goes further
Buying power +3.6%; rent takes 18% of take-home; state tax +$1,145/yr.
80 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Bakersfield, CA is in the Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA pay area; New Haven, CT is in New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA. The last column shows what a transfer from Bakersfield, CA to New Haven, CT at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Bakersfield, CA | New Haven, CT | Real change, Bakersfield → New Haven |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $71,957 | $72,737 | −2.5% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $87,061 | $88,005 | −2.5% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $104,349 | $105,481 | −2.5% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $124,085 | $125,431 | −2.5% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $146,632 | $148,222 | −2.5% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Bakersfield, CA | New Haven, CT | New Haven pay in Bakersfield dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $79,900 | $79,820 | $77,016 (−3.6%) |
| Software Developers | $130,330 | $133,040 | $128,367 (−1.5%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $79,620 | $94,960 | $91,624 (+15.1%) |
| Registered Nurses | $128,810 | $104,490 | $100,819 (−21.7%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.