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New Haven vs Olympia

Metro-area medians — New Haven, CT Metro Area vs Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Olympia comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

New Haven and Olympia cost about the same to live in, but Olympia households earn about 10% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Olympia.

Their widest everyday difference: Olympia has cleaner air on a typical day — a median AQI of 26 versus 41.

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.

New Haven, CT
$57,939
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$55,412
real value after local prices
Olympia, WA
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$59,143
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Olympia leaves you about $3,731/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
New Haven
Olympia
Livability (CityLedger)
58/100
67/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
104.6
103.7
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$85,736
$94,785
Median household income
$89,645
$98,264
Median rent
$1,600/mo
$1,829/mo
Median home value
$383,600
$525,500
Unemployment
6.2%
4.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher
42.5%
40.5%
Average commute
24.1 min
25.9 min
Air quality (median AQI)
41
26
Avg temperature
52°F
51°F

Choose New Haven for

  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
Full New Haven profile →

Choose Olympia for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Unemployment
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Olympia profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to New Haven and Olympia on cost, income, size, and education.

New Haven vs Hartford→New Haven vs Colorado Springs→New Haven vs Reno→Olympia vs Bremerton→Olympia vs Trenton→Olympia vs Manchester→

New Haven vs Olympia — frequently asked

Is New Haven cheaper than Olympia?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the New Haven and Olympia metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, New Haven or Olympia?
Olympia has the higher median household income — $98,264 versus $89,645 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 10% more.
Does a paycheck go further in New Haven or Olympia?
A paycheck stretches further in Olympia. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $94,785 there versus $85,736 in New Haven.
Which has cheaper rent, New Haven or Olympia?
New Haven has cheaper rent — a median of $1,600/mo versus $1,829/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).