You don’t have to be an emperor to live like a king in the Empire State.
The cheapest places to live in New York come from the best parts of the state.
To determine the most affordable places to live in New York, we used Saturday Night Science and Census data on costs of living, rents, and home prices for every town with over 5,000 people. We discovered some suburbs of NYC and others with easy commutes around Upstate New York offer budget bliss.
Whether you’re a city slicker or a country lover, rest assured there’s a place for you. It’s all about knowing where to look.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary
The 10 most affordable places to live in New York
What place is the cheapest place to live in New York? The cheapest place to live in New York is Niagara Falls for 2024 based on the most recent data.
While the cost of living in these areas may be lower, they still offer unique New York perks, like proximity to the majestic Niagara Falls or the picturesque Adirondack Mountains.
Check out some more reading about New York and the cheapest places in the country:
The 10 Cheapest Places To Live In New York For 2024
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Population: 48,502
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 79
Median Income: $45,932
Median Home Price: $148,929
Median Rent: $763
Niagara Falls is a great place to live if you’re looking for affordable housing in New York. With a median home value of $148,929 and a median rent of just $763, it’s one of the most cost-effective places to reside in the state. T
Located near the Niagara River and alongside the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, there are plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities and sightseeing. Plus, it’s part of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which offers access to all kinds of services and conveniences.
More on Niagara Falls: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
I love visiting Niagara Falls, NY. The scenes of the falls along with the Niagara River are just amazing. There is so much to do for free, and with the casino, the aquarium, hiking trails, and so much more nearby, it’s a perfect getaway.
The fireworks every night are wonderful. I also loved the aquarium; it’s small, but the sea lion show is really cool. Just walking along the Niagara River and on Goat Island and the Three Sisters Islands is really cool.
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Population: 276,688
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 80
Median Income: $46,184
Median Home Price: $215,169
Median Rent: $942
Buffalo shines as beacon of budget-friendliness in the blistering cold of Upstate New York. The city ranks as the second cheapest in the state.
A manageable 80 overall cost of living index is 34 points lower than the state average. Folks in Buffalo have low cost access to the Buffalo AKG Art Museum and Delaware Park which leaves enough room in the wallet for some Bills tickets.
More on Buffalo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Great time bars are open till 4 and the architecture is amazing. Frank Lloyd Wright did a lot in the city. And it’s home to the best dive bar in the state, the pink!
The pink, canal side, bills game tailgating, Allen street, elmwood village
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Population: 5,906
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 80
Median Income: $38,472
Median Home Price: $90,236
Median Rent: $706
Salamanca, within the Allegany Indian Reservation, has the third lowest cost of living in New York. The city’s 80 cost of living index falls below the national average, supported by a $90,236 that is the second lowest in the state, according to Zillow.
Salamanca’s position near the Allegheny River and Allegany State Park gives you plenty of cheap things to do on the weekend.
More on Salamanca: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 12,668
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 81
Median Income: $46,800
Median Home Price: $118,045
Median Rent: $826
It’s not a battle to find affordable places in Dunkirk; it’s one of the cheapest cities in New York. In the westernmost edge of New York, Dunkirk has a $826 rent which ranks 22nd in the state. The overall cost of living is 28.9% lower than the state average.
Dunkirk’s inexpensive, fun things to do mostly revolve around the water when it’s warm. Think of access to Wright Park Beach and the Dunkirk Lighthouse.
More on Dunkirk: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,827
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 81
Median Income: $56,782
Median Home Price: $153,223
Median Rent: $854
No this isn’t the Funky Cold Medina that Tone Loc sings about. Medina is actually New York’s fifth most affordable city for 2024. This little Erie Canal city is 14th when it comes to home price to income ratio. We’re not surprised it’s so affordable. And we definitely think it’s because they have such a strong economy as a result of agriculture and sandstone
Now if growing fruit and/or carving sandstone isn’t your shtick, but living in the oh so affordable Mediana is, we heard “‘The Jewel of the Erie Canal” is alway looking for canal boat guides.
More on Medina: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 13,890
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 82
Median Income: $45,078
Median Home Price: $103,194
Median Rent: $761
With the economy doing so well, people are moving now more than ever. Might we suggest New York’s sixth most affordable city for 2024: Olean?
O-town scored an 8/10 for education on our snackability scale. And since a good education helps you make money, and money makes people happy, we’re pretty sure you’ll want to call the affordable Olean home.
According to our data, they should be New York’s poster city for affordability, housing, and safety. And you know what else Olean’s residents know? Apparently a good deal when they see it, because they are the seventh most affordable city for home price to income ratio.
More on Olean: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 28,679
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 83
Median Income: $39,507
Median Home Price: $110,473
Median Rent: $703
Jamestown took home the seventh place on the list of cheap living in New York. Residents enjoy a home price of $110,473 and an average rent of $703. The city’s average income is $39,507, meaning those 105% lower housing costs go even further.
An hour plus south of Buffalo, Jamestown is close to Panama Rocks Scenic Park for affordable weekend fun.
More on Jamestown: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 19,762
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 84
Median Income: $46,869
Median Home Price: $138,652
Median Rent: $809
Lackawanna, another Buffalo suburb, placed as the eighth most affordable city in the state. Like most of the cities on this list, being close to Buffalo and far from New York City leads to better affordability.
A manageable 84 overall cost of living index is 30 points lower than the state average.
More on Lackawanna: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,428
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 84
Median Income: $41,985
Median Home Price: $89,529
Median Rent: $819
New York may have the highest rent in America, but you wouldn’t know it in Albion. The median rent in Albion is only $819; I bet folks from the Big Apple would drool over that price. The median home price is also cheap at $89,529, and with Albion residents earning a median income of $41,985, the village has the fourth best ratio of income to home price in New York.
Albion is located about 30 miles west/northwest of the city of Rochester.
More on Albion: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 26,494
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 85
Median Income: $41,073
Median Home Price: $113,359
Median Rent: $823
Elmira snuck onto the list as the tenth lowest cost place in New York. The cost of living index is 25.4% lower than the state’s average.
Located in Southern New York as the county seat of Chemung County, Elmira shines with an affordable 2.76 home price to income ratio and a $823 ranking at 2lowest state-wide.
More on Elmira: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Elmira was a nice small city with lots of areas around it Pine City, Elmira Heights, Horseheads, Big Flats, Corning so it is quite a large area of people and places. The city has tried to come back after the flood which took a lot of the buildings. It is not bad here at all I am mad they put it on the list..
Cheapest places to live in New York FAQs
The county in New York with the lowest cost of living is Tompkins County. The average living wage in Tompkins County is $101,647 according to MIT data. Tompkins County has the lowest cost of living because it has relatively less expensive childcare and housing costs compared to New York as a whole. Childcare costs $20,571 a year in Tompkins County for two children compared to the New York average of $23,262. Housing costs, defined as a blend of the average rent and average mortgage payment, are $15,228 per year in Tompkins County compared to $20,091 on average in New York.
The cost of living in New York is 22.9% higher than the US average. According to MIT, the required living wage for a family of four with two working parents in New York is $110,255 vs the national average for a family of four with two working parents of $89,744. The median income of a New York household is $71,117.
The cheapest housing market in New York is Jamestown. The average home value in Jamestown is $66,400, the lowest in the state. The average home value in New York is $325,000, almost 4.9 times higher than Jamestown.
Methodology: How we determined the most affordable places to live in the Empire State for 2024
Determining affordability for places in New York boils down to how much it costs to live here.
You need to understand your costs relative to what people in the rest of the state are paying.
With that logic in mind, we derived several cost of living statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2018-2022 for New York using Saturday Night Science. We indexed the cost of living statistics across the following categories:
- Housing
- Transportation
- Services
- Groceries
- Healthcare
- Utilities
These are then weighted together to produce an overall cost of living index where 100 is the United States average. Anything below 100 is relatively affordable. Anything over 100 is relatively expensive.
We applied the biggest weight to housing as it typically accounts for 25% or more of your budget. Additionally, housing costs are the highest variant cost across a state. We then compare these cost of living metrics for each place in New York to figure out which is the least expensive.
The “Cost of Living Index” allows you to rank all of the 168 places in New York that have more than 5,000 people from least expensive to most expensive. Any ties went to the larger city.
The place in New York with the lowest cost of living according to the data is Niagara Falls.
We updated this article for 2024. This report reflects our tenth time ranking the cheapest places to live in New York.
New York Affordabilility Summary
This is an accurate list of the most affordable places to live in New York for 2024, if you’re looking at the cost of living numbers in New York.
The cheapest cities in New York are Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Salamanca, Dunkirk, Medina, Olean, Jamestown, Lackawanna, Albion, and Elmira.
Here’s a look at the most expensive cities in New York according to the data:
- Kings Point
- Scarsdale
- Rye
For more New York reading, check out:
Cheapest Places To Live In New York
| Rank | City | Population | Cost Of Living Index | Median Income | Home Prices | Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niagara Falls | 48,502 | 79 | $45,932 | $148,929 | $763 |
| 2 | Buffalo | 276,688 | 80 | $46,184 | $215,169 | $942 |
| 3 | Salamanca | 5,906 | 80 | $38,472 | $90,236 | $706 |
| 4 | Dunkirk | 12,668 | 81 | $46,800 | $118,045 | $826 |
| 5 | Medina | 5,827 | 81 | $56,782 | $153,223 | $854 |
| 6 | Olean | 13,890 | 82 | $45,078 | $103,194 | $761 |
| 7 | Jamestown | 28,679 | 83 | $39,507 | $110,473 | $703 |
| 8 | Lackawanna | 19,762 | 84 | $46,869 | $138,652 | $809 |
| 9 | Albion | 5,428 | 84 | $41,985 | $89,529 | $819 |
| 10 | Elmira | 26,494 | 85 | $41,073 | $113,359 | $823 |
| 11 | Lockport | 20,808 | 85 | $56,053 | $228,847 | $827 |
| 12 | Kenmore | 15,155 | 85 | $74,571 | $210,511 | $953 |
| 13 | Geneva | 12,670 | 85 | $63,602 | $191,307 | $939 |
| 14 | Hornell | 8,208 | 85 | $47,632 | $100,676 | $739 |
| 15 | Bath | 5,606 | 85 | $42,832 | $116,977 | $711 |
| 16 | Binghamton | 47,617 | 86 | $42,031 | $160,958 | $805 |
| 17 | Batavia | 15,510 | 86 | $54,937 | $177,026 | $864 |
| 18 | Endicott | 13,540 | 86 | $43,509 | $167,425 | $801 |
| 19 | Lancaster | 10,160 | 86 | $61,646 | $200,380 | $873 |
| 20 | Fredonia | 9,710 | 86 | $48,855 | $188,977 | $934 |
| 21 | North Tonawanda | 30,479 | 87 | $66,836 | $244,331 | $855 |
| 22 | Oswego | 17,092 | 87 | $50,266 | $127,579 | $977 |
| 23 | Johnson City | 15,229 | 87 | $50,611 | $129,746 | $933 |
| 24 | Depew | 15,141 | 87 | $68,856 | $231,208 | $1,007 |
| 25 | Newark | 9,076 | 87 | $56,142 | $168,857 | $940 |
| 26 | Rochester | 210,992 | 88 | $44,156 | $202,931 | $995 |
| 27 | Corning | 10,685 | 88 | $59,453 | $167,867 | $1,005 |
| 28 | Ogdensburg | 9,902 | 88 | $58,184 | $104,755 | $722 |
| 29 | Horseheads | 6,524 | 88 | $58,125 | $200,449 | $1,169 |
| 30 | Auburn | 26,674 | 89 | $48,203 | $190,463 | $844 |
| 31 | Monticello | 7,224 | 89 | $45,531 | $236,611 | $898 |
| 32 | East Rochester | 6,321 | 89 | $65,134 | $183,684 | $1,103 |
| 33 | Penn Yan | 5,134 | 89 | $50,878 | $282,208 | $645 |
| 34 | Tonawanda | 15,096 | 90 | $59,532 | $177,644 | $734 |
| 35 | Brockport | 7,192 | 90 | $46,468 | $233,118 | $844 |
| 36 | Gloversville | 15,113 | 91 | $47,205 | $152,843 | $848 |
| 37 | Amsterdam | 18,244 | 92 | $46,338 | $215,922 | $906 |
| 38 | Massena | 10,218 | 92 | $48,161 | $107,647 | $674 |
| 39 | Hamburg | 9,749 | 92 | $93,942 | $260,812 | $956 |
| 40 | Fulton | 11,381 | 93 | $51,243 | $150,754 | $832 |
| 41 | Johnstown | 8,216 | 93 | $59,809 | $180,972 | $860 |
| 42 | Webster | 5,725 | 93 | $63,833 | $327,162 | $1,168 |
| 43 | Malone | 5,507 | 93 | $49,531 | $124,398 | $810 |
| 44 | Schenectady | 68,476 | 94 | $54,650 | $274,585 | $1,038 |
| 45 | Rome | 32,031 | 94 | $56,901 | $179,000 | $867 |
| 46 | Cortland | 17,574 | 94 | $55,042 | $178,703 | $871 |
| 47 | Geneseo | 7,713 | 94 | $37,701 | $232,304 | $984 |
| 48 | Williamsville | 5,411 | 94 | $93,730 | $364,883 | $1,257 |
| 49 | Utica | 64,728 | 95 | $48,212 | $175,294 | $873 |
| 50 | Ilion | 7,703 | 95 | $71,556 | $134,190 | $675 |
| 51 | Herkimer | 6,858 | 95 | $56,607 | $128,285 | $780 |
| 52 | Rensselaer | 9,252 | 96 | $68,284 | $267,993 | $1,140 |
| 53 | Potsdam | 8,570 | 96 | $31,584 | $168,876 | $727 |
| 54 | Norwich | 6,950 | 96 | $50,579 | $135,825 | $829 |
| 55 | Hilton | 5,998 | 96 | $75,098 | $256,283 | $1,098 |
| 56 | East Aurora | 5,996 | 96 | $95,216 | $385,855 | $966 |
| 57 | Cohoes | 17,960 | 97 | $62,679 | $286,531 | $1,183 |
| 58 | Canandaigua | 10,562 | 97 | $59,144 | $250,446 | $1,015 |
| 59 | Port Jervis | 8,725 | 97 | $38,804 | $270,917 | $1,157 |
| 60 | Hudson Falls | 7,426 | 97 | $58,746 | $214,392 | $894 |
| 61 | Syracuse | 146,134 | 98 | $43,584 | $175,959 | $932 |
| 62 | Oneida | 10,326 | 98 | $56,044 | $173,929 | $840 |
| 63 | Scotia | 7,292 | 98 | $66,736 | $214,828 | $1,024 |
| 64 | North Syracuse | 6,669 | 98 | $64,583 | $193,711 | $929 |
| 65 | Mechanicville | 5,177 | 98 | $45,686 | $401,291 | $956 |
| 66 | Solvay | 6,607 | 99 | $55,302 | $164,686 | $882 |
| 67 | Fairport | 5,442 | 99 | $95,354 | $335,276 | $1,164 |
| 68 | Watertown | 24,859 | 100 | $49,722 | $182,077 | $924 |
| 69 | Plattsburgh | 19,907 | 100 | $55,049 | $217,419 | $940 |
| 70 | Glens Falls | 14,743 | 100 | $64,731 | $230,775 | $1,022 |
| 71 | Watervliet | 10,325 | 100 | $51,092 | $265,978 | $1,024 |
| 72 | Baldwinsville | 7,746 | 100 | $78,471 | $267,659 | $1,181 |
| 73 | Albany | 99,692 | 101 | $54,736 | $281,271 | $1,130 |
| 74 | Troy | 51,268 | 101 | $54,837 | $253,552 | $1,086 |
| 75 | Saranac Lake | 5,079 | 101 | $58,197 | $313,198 | $781 |
| 76 | Kingston | 24,018 | 102 | $62,071 | $291,912 | $1,232 |
| 77 | Canton | 7,245 | 103 | $57,639 | $181,207 | $804 |
| 78 | Hudson | 5,923 | 103 | $46,293 | $389,385 | $1,194 |
| 79 | Ithaca | 31,359 | 104 | $45,468 | $382,030 | $1,391 |
| 80 | Oneonta | 14,097 | 104 | $62,188 | $201,322 | $980 |
| 81 | Middletown | 30,169 | 105 | $70,155 | $358,572 | $1,505 |
| 82 | Colonie | 7,767 | 108 | $100,093 | $292,148 | $1,614 |
| 83 | Ballston Spa | 5,288 | 108 | $78,136 | $364,302 | $1,088 |
| 84 | Poughkeepsie | 31,717 | 112 | $53,875 | $288,731 | $1,291 |
| 85 | Newburgh | 28,751 | 112 | $48,555 | $353,405 | $1,293 |
| 86 | Warwick | 6,653 | 113 | $85,736 | $519,919 | $1,221 |
| 87 | Walden | 6,861 | 116 | $76,724 | $364,347 | $1,292 |
| 88 | Goshen | 5,736 | 118 | $93,679 | $499,691 | $1,471 |
| 89 | Washingtonville | 5,733 | 118 | $101,146 | $454,392 | $1,345 |
| 90 | Wappingers Falls | 5,775 | 119 | $61,554 | $429,759 | $1,369 |
| 91 | Saratoga Springs | 28,505 | 120 | $97,241 | $532,060 | $1,495 |
| 92 | Beacon | 13,876 | 121 | $96,891 | $477,592 | $1,605 |
| 93 | Suffern | 11,376 | 122 | $94,688 | $491,644 | $1,848 |
| 94 | Spring Valley | 32,963 | 124 | $50,749 | $752,847 | $1,609 |
| 95 | Haverstraw | 12,286 | 126 | $77,254 | $390,705 | $1,703 |
| 96 | West Haverstraw | 10,649 | 126 | $81,795 | $376,904 | $1,750 |
| 97 | New Paltz | 7,732 | 126 | $59,779 | $391,808 | $1,588 |
| 98 | Peekskill | 25,401 | 127 | $86,695 | $444,855 | $1,798 |
| 99 | Hempstead | 58,557 | 128 | $80,350 | $515,919 | $1,670 |
| 100 | Patchogue | 12,343 | 128 | $99,271 | $508,629 | $2,195 |
