Northeast ranking
23 New York cities ranked by cost of living, cheapest first.
Index 88
Index 128
Sorted by cost-of-living index — lowest (most affordable) first.
| # | City | Cost index | Median rent | Median income | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utica | 88 | $873/mo | $48,212 | 65K | Compare → |
| 2 | Binghamton | 89 | $805/mo | $42,031 | 48K | Compare → |
| 3 | Niagara Falls | 93 | $763/mo | $45,932 | 49K | Compare → |
| 4 | Buffalo | 93 | $942/mo | $46,184 | 277K | Compare → |
| 5 | Cheektowaga | 93 | $969/mo | $64,066 | 76K | Compare → |
| 6 | Tonawanda Town | 94 | $983/mo | $74,313 | 57K | Compare → |
| 7 | Syracuse | 94 | $932/mo | $43,584 | 146K | Compare → |
| 8 | West Seneca | 94 | $999/mo | $75,435 | 45K | Compare → |
| 9 | Rochester | 96 | $995/mo | $44,156 | 211K | Compare → |
| 10 | Irondequoit | 97 | $1,057/mo | $74,031 | 51K | Compare → |
| 11 | Schenectady | 102 | $1,038/mo | $54,650 | 68K | Compare → |
| 12 | Troy | 103 | $1,086/mo | $54,837 | 51K | Compare → |
| 13 | Albany | 103 | $1,130/mo | $54,736 | 100K | Compare → |
| 14 | Mount Vernon | 125 | $1,461/mo | $75,511 | 73K | Compare → |
| 15 | Yonkers | 125 | $1,659/mo | $78,208 | 210K | Compare → |
| 16 | Brentwood | 125 | $1,660/mo | $111,572 | 65K | Compare → |
| 17 | Hempstead | 125 | $1,670/mo | $80,350 | 59K | Compare → |
| 18 | New Rochelle | 126 | $1,763/mo | $100,542 | 81K | Compare → |
| 19 | New York | 126 | $1,714/mo | $76,607 | 8.6M | Compare → |
| 20 | Freeport | 126 | $1,902/mo | $109,390 | 44K | Compare → |
| 21 | White Plains | 126 | $2,047/mo | $109,551 | 59K | Compare → |
| 22 | Levittown | 127 | $2,318/mo | $140,559 | 51K | Compare → |
| 23 | Hicksville | 128 | $2,549/mo | $139,809 | 44K | Compare → |
If you're weighing a move to New York, the case usually comes down to a few specific things — most clearly solid wages across the state and a real major city in the state, plus 3 more. Here's the detail.
Median household income across New York cities averages about $75,838 — a step above the US median of around $75k. Not a uniformly high-wage state, but the labor market here pays more than most of the country.
New York (population about 8,622,467) gives New York a genuine major-city anchor. Big airports, headquartered employers, professional sports, specialty hospitals, and the kind of job market you don't get in mid-sized towns — and you can live close to it or an hour away, depending on the lifestyle you want.
We track 23 New York cities with full cost data, ranging from small towns to major metros. That means you can actually pick a fit — urban density vs. small-town quiet, expensive vs. cheap, big-job-market vs. easier-commute — instead of having "the state's one big city" be your only option.
New York has Atlantic coastline — meaning the ocean is reachable without a flight, and for plenty of residents it's reachable in under an hour. That changes the rhythm of a year: summer plans default to the water, the weather is moderated by being near it, and a lot of the state's culture is tied to fishing, ports, or beach towns.
New York sits on the Great Lakes — Lake Michigan, Erie, Huron, Superior, or Ontario, depending on which corner of the state you're in. The lakes mean real beaches, real summer water activities, and a moderating effect on inland weather that the rest of the Midwest doesn't get.
Reasons reflect aggregated city data for New York (Census ACS, BLS, BEA) plus well-known state-level geography. We only list points that are actually supported — different states show different sections.
Across New York, Utica is the most affordable city we track (cost index 88, with median rent around $873/mo), while Hicksville sits at the top of the range with an index of 128—roughly 46% pricier than Utica. Use the table above to compare any New York city directly against Utica.
The other end of the ranking — priciest first.