Is Atlantic City cheaper than Waterbury?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Atlantic City and Waterbury metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Atlantic City or Waterbury?

Household incomes are similar — $80,806 in the Atlantic City metro versus $79,889 in Waterbury (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Does a paycheck go further in Atlantic City or Waterbury?

It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($81,740 versus $80,067).

Which has cheaper rent, Atlantic City or Waterbury?

Waterbury has cheaper rent — a median of $1,407/mo versus $1,467/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Atlantic City vs Waterbury

Metro-area medians — Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ Metro Area vs Waterbury-Shelton, CT Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Waterbury comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 5 clearly-decided measures.

Atlantic City and Waterbury are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Atlantic City, NJ

$58,662

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$59,341

real value after local prices

Waterbury, CT

$57,939

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$58,067

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Atlantic City leaves you about $1,273/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Atlantic City

Waterbury

Livability (CityLedger)

44/100

47/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

98.9

99.8

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$81,740

$80,067

Median household income

$80,806

$79,889

Median rent

$1,467/mo

$1,407/mo

Median home value

$366,000

$344,300

Unemployment

6.8%

4.9%

Bachelor's degree or higher

33.1%

32.6%

Average commute

26.2 min

28.5 min

Air quality (median AQI)

—

Avg temperature

55°F

51°F

Choose Atlantic City for

+ Average commute

Full Atlantic City profile →

Choose Waterbury for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Median rent
+ Median home value
+ Unemployment

Full Waterbury profile →

Atlantic City vs Waterbury — frequently asked

Is Atlantic City cheaper than Waterbury?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Atlantic City and Waterbury metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Atlantic City or Waterbury?: Household incomes are similar — $80,806 in the Atlantic City metro versus $79,889 in Waterbury (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
Does a paycheck go further in Atlantic City or Waterbury?: It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($81,740 versus $80,067).
Which has cheaper rent, Atlantic City or Waterbury?: Waterbury has cheaper rent — a median of $1,407/mo versus $1,467/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).