Should I move to Connecticut or Westchester?

It’s been written about over and over again in news outlets like The New York Times, NPR, Fortune, and The Atlantic. There has been a mass exodus from Manhattan to the surrounding suburbs. And, if you’re one of these “leavers”, one of the biggest questions you may have is, “Should I move to Connecticut or Westchester?” For the purposes of this post, I am comparing Westchester County to lower Fairfield County. Westchester County is just north of New York City, with the Bronx on its southern end, the Hudson River to the west, and the Long Island Sound to the east. Lower Fairfield County is bordered in the south by Greenwich and in the north by Westport. There are three major considerations to take into account when deciding between Connecticut and Westchester:

1. The commute
2. The taxes
3. The schools

So, should you move to Connecticut or Westchester? Let’s break it down. 

The Commute

Most people who live in Westchester or Connecticut commute to the city via Metro-North Railroad. Generally, commuting from lower Westchester county will be significantly shorter than commuting from Connecticut.  The fastest commute is from Mt. Vernon to Grand Central, which is 28 minutes. While the fastest commute from Connecticut is 45 minutes from Greenwich. 

So, the question is, are those extra 17 minutes in commute time a deciding factor?

The Taxes

Many people leaving the city for the suburbs get massive sticker shock when they look at property taxes. The average effective property tax rate (taxes as a percentage of home value) in New York City is just 0.90%, while bordering suburbs can be twice that.

Connecticut and Westchester homeowners pay some of the highest property taxes in the country. According to SmartAsset, Fairfield County’s average effective property tax rate is 1.73%, which ranks just below Westchester County, which is around 2% (or more depending where you live). But let’s break it down even more.

Let’s look at similarly priced homes in Scarsdale, NY and Greenwich, CT. Both homes are listed at $1.45 million with four bedrooms and four bathrooms, and both sit on about a half acre of land. The estimated taxes for the Greenwich home are $12,017 per year. The estimated taxes for the Scarsdale home are $43,997! There are significant tax savings by living in Fairfield County, CT over Westchester County, NY.

The Schools

Honestly, it’s a toss up with schools. When you look at Niche.com’s 2021 ranking of the Best School Districts in the New York City area, both Westchester and Fairfield County schools are ranked in the top ten. Scarsdale, NY falls in at #3, while Westport, CT is at #6; with both receiving A+ grades. Overall, there are more Westchester County schools included in Niche.com’s 2021 ranking.  However, that can also be because there are more Westchester School districts than Fairfield County school districts.

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