| Index | University | Buffalo | New York |
| Cost of living | 91 | 87 | 118 |
| Goods & Services | 97 | 97 | 108 |
| Groceries | 97 | 97 | 102 |
| Health care | 89 | 89 | 111 |
| Housing | 79 | 64 | 144 |
| Transportation | 103 | 103 | 107 |
| Utilities | 92 | 92 | 101 |
Why stop at city-to-city? With Local Insights, you can compare neighborhoods, zip codes, or even exact addresses. Access 300+ hyperlocal data points—from schools and crime to housing and amenities—to see which area is the better fit.
| Cost of living index | |
| Goods & Services index | |
| Groceries index | |
| Health care index | |
| Housing index | |
| Transportation index | |
| Utilities index |
| Median Income | Per Year | Per Month | Max Budget (28% DTI) | Max Budget (36% DTI) |
| Household | $85,052 | $7,088 | $1,984 | $2,552 |
| State | General Sales Tax | With Max Surtax |
| New York | 4% | 8.875% |
| State | Income Tax (Low) | Income Tax (High) |
| New York | 4% | 10.9% |
| Item | Buffalo | National avg. | Difference |
| Haircut | $23.25 | $27.62 | 15.8% |
| Beauty Salon | $53.40 | $51.11 | 4.5% |
| Toothpaste | $4.02 | $4.09 | 1.8% |
| Shampoo | $1.64 | $1.54 | 6.4% |
| Movie | $15.88 | $12.88 | 23.3% |
| Yoga | $15.13 | $19.66 | 23.0% |
| Item | Buffalo | National avg. | Difference |
| Ground Beef | $7.59 | $7.70 | 1.5% |
| Fried Chicken | $1.52 | $1.66 | 8.6% |
| Milk | $4.89 | $4.73 | 3.3% |
| Potatoes | $5.25 | $5.26 | 0.1% |
| Pizza | $12.99 | $12.76 | 1.8% |
| Beer | $10.01 | $10.55 | 5.1% |
| Item | Buffalo | National avg. | Difference |
| Optometrist | $75.29 | $140.06 | 46.2% |
| Doctor | $114.72 | $153.82 | 25.4% |
| Dentist | $105.28 | $123.15 | 14.5% |
| Ibuprofen | $11.64 | $11.73 | 0.8% |
| Lipitor | $26.86 | $23.61 | 13.8% |
| Item | Buffalo | National avg. | Difference |
| Home Price | $183,992.00 | $326,622.00 | 43.7% |
| Avg. Mortgage Payment | $2,753.85 | $2,480.25 | 11.0% |
| Apartment Rent | $1,203.00 | $1,444.00 | 16.7% |
| Item | Buffalo | National avg. | Difference |
| Gasoline | $3.13 | $3.06 | 2.6% |
| Tire Balancing | $68.77 | $65.21 | 5.5% |
| Item | Buffalo | National avg. | Difference |
| All Electricity | $188.27 | $220.12 | 14.5% |
| Phone | $200.01 | $195.71 | 2.2% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| South Lockport, NY | 8,624 | 81 | 19.1% |
| Niagara Falls, NY | 49,651 | 83 | 16.9% |
| Sloan, NY | 3,688 | 84 | 15.5% |
| Tonawanda city, NY | 15,560 | 85 | 15.1% |
| Lockport, NY | 21,177 | 86 | 14.2% |
| Buffalo, NY | 262,656 | 87 | 13.0% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Scottsdale, AZ | 261,070 | 144 | 44.3% |
| Kitchener, ON | 259,162 | n/a | |
| Burnaby, BC | 258,827 | n/a | |
| Lubbock, TX | 266,541 | 94 | 6.1% |
| Reno, NV | 258,532 | 121 | 21.1% |
| Buffalo, NY | 262,656 | 87 | 13.0% |
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