Rochester, New York Cost Of Living

A+

12%

Overall NAT. AVG.

3%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

46%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2022 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Rochester	New York	National
Cost of living	88	119	100
Goods & Services	103	110	100
Groceries	100	113	100
Health care	103	101	100
Housing	54	145	100
Transportation	108	108	100
Utilities	93	98	100

New Real Estate Listings in Rochester Area

For Sale For Rent

Search

Search Homes for Sale in Rochester, NY

See How Much House You Can Afford. Get Pre-Approved Today

Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Rochester is 27% lower than the New York average
The cost of living in Rochester is 12% lower than the national average
Rochester housing is 46% lower than the national average
New York general sales tax is 22% lower than the national average
New York state income tax is 77% higher than the national average

Most Affordable Places to Live in and Around Rochester

See all the best places to live around Rochester

Compare Rochester, NY Cost of Living

Write a review to give others more information about this area.

See all Rochester poll results

The best places in New York

Here are the best places to live in New York

Check out the 10 safest cities in New York

10 best cities to buy a new house in New York

Top 10 best public schools in Rochester

Salary Calculator

This is how much you would need to earn in

Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$52,896	$4,408	$1,234	$1,587
Renters	$21,976	$1,831	$513	$659

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Rochester, NY, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Rochester, the median monthly income is $52,896 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $1,234 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $21,976, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $513 on monthly rental expenses.

New York Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
New York	4%	8.875%

New York Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
New York	4%	10.9%

Goods & Services

Item	Rochester	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$21.44	$20.27	5.7%
Beauty Salon	$41.28	$40.39	2.2%
Toothpaste	$1.98	$2.36	15.9%
Shampoo	$1.03	$1.08	4.0%
Movie	$10.82	$10.99	1.5%
Bowling	$15.57	$15.49	0.5%

Groceries

Item	Rochester	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.42	$4.30	2.9%
Fried Chicken	$1.11	$1.40	20.4%
Milk	$2.52	$2.20	14.4%
Potatoes	$2.75	$3.22	14.7%
Pizza	$12.29	$10.74	14.4%
Beer	$10.74	$9.60	11.9%

Health Care

Item	Rochester	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$130.85	$109.73	19.3%
Doctor	$110.93	$118.34	6.3%
Dentist	$106.79	$100.94	5.8%
Ibuprofen	$9.24	$9.93	6.9%
Lipitor	$504.75	$469.53	7.5%

Housing

Item	Rochester	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$77,800.00	$184,700.00	57.9%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,193.24	$1,229.62	3.0%
Apartment Rent	$779.00	$949.00	17.9%

Transportation

Item	Rochester	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.72	$2.71	0.2%
Tire Balancing	$62.49	$51.86	20.5%

Utilities

Item	Rochester	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$147.94	$170.84	13.4%
Phone	$191.59	$187.18	2.4%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
East Rochester, NY	6,679	90	9.8%
Gates, NY	5,178	90	9.6%
North Gates, NY	9,537	91	8.7%
Caledonia, NY	2,117	92	8.0%
Greece, NY	14,892	92	7.7%
Rochester, NY	210,291	88	12.4%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Modesto, CA	208,512	112	12.1%
Spokane, WA	212,078	99	0.6%
Oakville, ON	212,353	n/a
Birmingham, AL	212,424	86	13.5%
Des Moines, IA	212,859	85	14.8%
Rochester, NY	210,291	88	12.4%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2022 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.