One Of The Best Places To Live In Connecticut Offers House Prices Lower Than The State's Average

With its abundant parks, proximity to other New England population centers, and multiple vineyards, Wallingford is one of the best places to retire in Connecticut. However, you don't have to be a senior citizen to move to this picturesque community, since Wallingford is home to great schools and several centers of employment. Plus, by Connecticut standards, Wallingford is not overly expensive.

WorldAtlas lists Wallingford among its 10 best places to live in Connecticut in 2025, and among the many reasons the town made the list was the fact that the average cost of buying a property in Wallingford is lower than the statewide average. According to Zillow, the average home value in Wallingford as of June 30 was $404,4744, versus $435,982 throughout Connecticut. However, if that is still too pricey for your budget, renting is also affordable compared to the rest of the state. According to RentCafe, as of June 2025, the average rental rate for an apartment in Wallingford was $1,732 a month, while the statewide average was $2,109 a month. 

While Connecticut was ranked No. 15 by U.S. World News & Report for best places to live, it is also a state that is home to many wealthy people, which ultimately pushes up the cost of living. So much so that GOBankingRates recommends having about $1.1 million in savings if you want to retire in Connecticut, since it costs roughly $67,000 a year to live there. However, even that retirement amount won't qualify as retiring rich. Nevertheless, salaries tend to also be higher in Connecticut. As of 2023, the median annual household income in the United States was $77,719, while in Connecticut the median household income was $91,665, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau.  

In Wallingford the average salary, as of June 2025, was $51,264 a year, according to ZipRecruiter. While that pay rate is lower than the statewide median, there are more than 2,200 businesses in the area, according to Wallingford's municipal government website. In addition, the health care sector is a big employer in Wallingford, with the town being home to Gaylord Hospital and the Masonic Healthcare Center. Wallingford also points out that its workforce is 13% more productive than the national average.

On the relaxation side, Wallingford has more than 2,000 acres of parks and open spaces including 18-hole golf course, ball fields, community garden plots, and playgrounds as well as amenities such as tennis and pickleball courts, basketball courts and a gymnasium with party rooms, according to the town's Parks & Recreation Department. For those who love to walk amongst nature, Alltrails lists eight trails that run by or near Wallingford. Or, for those who love music and concerts, there is the Oakdale Musical Theatre, a circa 1954 venue with around 4,800 seats. Similarly, there are landmarks such as the Hall Elton Building and the Wallace Hose House. Tripadvisor also lists several breweries, wineries, nightclubs, and vineyards in the Wallingford area.

For those who want to get away from the place they live and work, Wallingford is located just two hours away from New York, Boston, Hartford, New Haven, and Providence via highway, boat, or train. In terms of rail, Wallingford has a revamped train station that serves Amtrak as well as the state's Hartford Line commuter service.