Orlando, FL vs Buffalo, NY
Moving from Orlando to Buffalo? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($387,733 → $288,316 median home) and taxes.
Orlando vs Buffalo 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 Orlando, FL, you'd need about $93,435 in Buffalo, NY (−$6,565).
Livability — Orlando, FL: 66 · Buffalo, NY: 61 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,385 sqft in Orlando vs 2,775 sqft in Buffalo ($210 vs $180 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Orlando, FL | Buffalo, NY | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,724 | $17,328 | −$6,396 |
| Groceries | $4,813 | $4,868 | +$55 |
| Transportation | $4,800 | $3,895 | −$905 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $3,180 | +$1,524 |
| Insurance | $4,200 | $1,600 | −$2,600 |
| Taxes | $4,915 | $18,192 | +$13,277 |
| Total | $44,108 | $49,063 | +$4,955 |
Side by side
| Metric | Orlando, FL | Buffalo, NY |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.6 | 94.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.26% | 5.10% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 12.1% | 2.4% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 44 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $5.40 |
| Median home price | $387,733 | $288,316 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.4× | 4.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -3.1% | 4.8% |
| Price per square foot | $210 | $180 |
| Median rent | $1,977 | $1,444 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.1% | 15.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.02% | 8.52% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 10.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.80% | 2.26% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,500 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $17,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 29 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $4,200 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,900 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $1,400 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.45 |
| Violent crime /100k | 380 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 52 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 5 |