Buffalo, NY vs New York, NY
Moving from Buffalo to New York? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($288,316 → $727,625 median home) and taxes.
Buffalo vs New York 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 $118,672 in New York, NY (+$18,672).
Livability — Buffalo, NY: 61 · New York, NY: 44 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,775 sqft in Buffalo vs 1,099 sqft in New York ($180 vs $455 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Buffalo, NY | New York, NY | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,328 | $42,036 | +$24,708 |
| Groceries | $4,868 | $5,415 | +$547 |
| Transportation | $3,895 | $3,895 | +$0 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $3,180 | +$0 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,600 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $18,192 | $23,496 | +$5,304 |
| Total | $49,063 | $79,622 | +$30,559 |
Side by side
| Metric | Buffalo, NY | New York, NY |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.9 | 112.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.10% | 6.55% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.4% | -1.4% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 52 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $288,316 | $727,625 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 7.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.8% | 4.1% |
| Price per square foot | $180 | $455 |
| Median rent | $1,444 | $3,503 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.9% | 15.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.52% | 8.52% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.90% | 10.90% |
| Property tax rate | 2.26% | 1.74% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $17,000 | $17,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 36 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.45 | 3.45 |
| Violent crime /100k | 350 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 5 |