Cost of Living
per year
per month
How New York's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in New York?
Your $100,000 in New York has the same purchasing power as $79,384 in the average US city. You'd need $20,616 more here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of New York's cost index of 126, sorted by closest match.
If you're weighing a move to New York, the short answer is that the city has a few genuine arguments going for it — most obviously paychecks come in above the us average and lower-than-average crime numbers, plus 4 more things worth knowing. Here's the longer version.
Median household income in New York is $76,607, a step above the national median of about $75k. The local job market leans toward industries that pay better than average, and that shows up in the take-home for most working households here.
New York reports about 2,886 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — a step below the US average of around 3,500. The citywide number averages over neighborhoods that can vary a lot, but the headline number is friendlier than most American cities of comparable size.
New York's Walk Score is 92/100 — top-tier walkability by US standards. Groceries, coffee, work, social life: most of it lands within reasonable foot range of wherever you live. A lot of residents skip car ownership entirely, which is its own form of savings on top of the lifestyle change. Transit Score comes in at 100/100 too, so even the trips that are too far to walk are usually doable on a bus or train.
New York's Bike Score is 79/100 — the kind of number you only get when a city has built real bike infrastructure (protected lanes, connected routes, drivers who expect cyclists). For commuting or just for getting around, the bike is a serious option here, not a hobby.
New York's air quality index averages about 42 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
40% of adults 25 and over in New York hold a bachelor's degree or higher — meaningfully above the US average of around 36%. That correlates with the things you'd expect: stronger schools, more white-collar employers, more bookstores than the population alone would predict.
Reasons are pulled from New York's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Yes, several times a winter. New York's winter average of about 30°F sits right around freezing, so storms typically drop real snow that lingers a few days before slush sets in.
Cold but workable. Winter in New York averages about 30°F — colder than the national norm, mild compared to the upper Midwest. A solid coat handles most days; the genuine cold snaps are short.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in New York runs about 83°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Approximately USDA Hardiness Zone 8. That's the band gardeners use to pick plants — anything rated for Zone 8 or colder should survive a typical winter in New York. (The estimate is derived from our winter-temperature data; the official USDA map uses station-level annual minimums and may differ by half a zone.)
New York sits at about 75 feet (23 m) above sea level — low-lying, but with enough cushion that day-to-day life isn't affected by ocean levels.
Officially, Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, but most of the action lands between mid-August and mid-October. For New York, that's when to keep half an eye on the National Hurricane Center forecast cone — and when an actual evacuation plan is worth having in the drawer if you're in a low-lying or coastal neighborhood.
Average for an American city. New York's reported crime rate of about 2,886 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
Yes, noticeably. New York's cost-of-living index runs 126, about 26% above the US baseline. Housing usually accounts for most of the markup; groceries and services run higher too but with less drama.
Genuinely so. New York's Walk Score of 92 out of 100 puts it in "Walker's Paradise" territory — daily errands don't require a car at all. Transit Score is 100 out of 100. Many residents skip car ownership entirely.
Roughly $88,179 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in New York runs about $1,714/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.