What is the cost of living in Albany, NY?

Albany indexes at 98 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,309/mo and a acs median home value of $234,700.

How much does a house cost in Albany?

The acs median home value in Albany is $234,700, 55% below the New York median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).

How much is rent in Albany?

A two-bedroom in Albany rents for about $1,309/mo.

City data & comparisons

Albany County · New York · Northeast · 100k residents

Albany, NY: cost of living, taxes & quality of life

Residential facts for Albany: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the New York median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.

Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.

The acs median home value in Albany is $234,700, 55% below the New York median. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,309/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 98 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $61,986 a year.

What the numbers show

Source-confirmed findings

Housing value: The ACS median home value in Albany is $234,700, 55% below the median for ACS-covered places in New York.
Household income: Median household income is $61,986, 48.8% below the median for ACS-covered places in New York.
Adult education: 45.3% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 19.7% above the median for ACS-covered places in New York.
Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 3.8 times median household income. This is a comparison measure, not a mortgage qualification or affordability promise.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.

What makes this place distinctive

A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.

A researched local story is not published for this city yet. The signals below are the verified profile context.

Scale: A mid-sized city with a population between 50,000 and 250,000 in the profile data.
Setting: The profile places Albany about 30 miles from the nearest tracked mountain.
Climate signal: The profile records 180 sunny days and 59 inches of annual snow.
Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 38 and an average commute of 33 minutes.

WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.

Compare Albany for residents

Compare Albany side by side

Cost of living index

≈ US median

ACS median home value

$234,700

−55% vs state mediancheaper than 75% of US cities

2-bedroom rent

$1,309/mo

cheaper than 63% of US cities

Median household income

$61,986

−49% vs state medianhigher than 23% of US cities

Housing momentum

How fast Albany's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.

85/100

Heating

Home prices YoY: +4.5% (top 15%)Rents YoY: +5.1% (top 18%)Home prices MoM: +0.8% (top 1%)

Momentum rising · +19 over 2 yr

Ranks Albany's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.

What does your salary buy in Albany?

$a year

Adjusted by Albany's cost-of-living index versus the US average.

All facets · Albany

Housing — Buy
ACS median home value	$234,700
Price per sq. ft.	$300
Property tax rate	1.6%

Housing — Rent
1-bedroom rent	$1,025/mo
2-bedroom rent	$1,309/mo

Taxes
State & local income tax	4.07%
Sales tax	8.5%

Monthly Costs
Cost of living index	98
Groceries index	108
Utilities	$190/mo
Transit pass	$127/mo
Gas price	$3.50/gal
Healthcare index	105
Childcare (per child)	$1,400/mo

Economy & Jobs
Median household income	$61,986
Unemployment rate	4.3%
Population	100k

Quality of Life
Crime index	40/100
School rating	6.5/10
Walkability	38/100
Disaster risk	86/100
Avg. commute	33 min

Climate
Sunny days / year	180 days
July high	84°F
January low	16°F
Annual snowfall	59 in

Market Trends
Home price YoY	+4.5%
Home price MoM	+0.8%
Rent YoY	+5.1%
Rent MoM	+0.7%

Location & Access
Ocean coast	106 mi
Big lake	66 mi
Mountains	30 mi
Major airport	7 mi
Ski resort	25 mi

Compare & explore

Popular comparisons

Nearby

Similar size

Real listings in Albany

Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗

Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.

Questions & answers

What is the cost of living in Albany, NY?: Albany indexes at 98 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,309/mo and a acs median home value of $234,700.
How much does a house cost in Albany?: The acs median home value in Albany is $234,700, 55% below the New York median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
How much is rent in Albany?: A two-bedroom in Albany rents for about $1,309/mo.