Buffalo, NY vs Cleveland, OH
Moving from Buffalo to Cleveland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($288,316 → $252,210 median home) and taxes.
Buffalo vs Cleveland at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Buffalo, NY, you'd need about $96,291 in Cleveland, OH (−$3,709).
Livability — Buffalo, NY: 61 · Cleveland, OH: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,775 sqft in Buffalo vs 3,270 sqft in Cleveland ($180 vs $153 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Buffalo, NY | Cleveland, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,328 | $17,532 | +$204 |
| Groceries | $4,868 | $4,830 | −$38 |
| Transportation | $3,895 | $3,025 | −$870 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $2,100 | −$1,080 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,300 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $18,192 | $9,518 | −$8,674 |
| Total | $49,063 | $38,305 | −$10,758 |
Side by side
| Metric | Buffalo, NY | Cleveland, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.9 | 91.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.10% | 5.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.4% | 0.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $5.20 |
| Median home price | $288,316 | $252,210 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 3.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.8% | 4.3% |
| Price per square foot | $180 | $153 |
| Median rent | $1,444 | $1,461 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.9% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.52% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.90% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 2.26% | 1.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $17,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.45 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 350 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 2 |