Living in Branford, CT
College town in Connecticut
Branford is a college town in Connecticut, home to about 28,000 people, with 1.5 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Branford a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Safe: violent crime is 0.08× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Great outdoors: coast or a lake close by
- Mild summers: highs around 80°F
- Strong healthcare: 7 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
👎 Cons
- Higher taxes: about $3,118 state income tax per resident, 1.73% property tax
- Cloudier than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Branford ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Branford: common questions
What is the cost of living in Branford?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $526k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,430 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 105, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Branford?
Connecticut collects about $3,118 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.73% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Branford safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.08× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Branford?
Public schools in Branford test above the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 12 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Branford?
Branford has cold winters: winter days average around 41°F and summer days around 80°F, with roughly 34″ of snow a year.
Does Branford get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding, hurricanes and coastal flooding: 12 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.15 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Branford?
The nearest major airport is BDL, about 46 mi away.
How Branford scores
Each bar compares Branford with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Branford
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Connecticut.
Is Branford right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.