?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Auburn, NY vs Rochester, NY

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Auburn needs about $87,500 in Rochester to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Rochester, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $82,500 in Auburn.

A few differences

Auburn vs Rochester · facet by facet
FacetAuburn, NYRochester, NY
Median home price$152,800$139,600
2-bedroom rent$933/mo$1,161/mo
Property tax rate1.6%1.6%
State & local income tax4.07%4.07%
Sales tax8.5%8.5%
Cost of living index8890
Groceries index108108
Utilities$190/mo$190/mo
Median household income$51,052$47,213
Unemployment rate4.3%4.3%
Crime index40/10040/100
School rating6.5/106.5/10
Sunny days / year180 days180 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Auburn, NY · Rochester, NY
Questions & answers
Is Auburn cheaper than Rochester?
Auburn has the lower day-to-day cost index (88 vs 90 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Rochester equals $85,000 in Auburn?
A household earning $85,000 in Auburn needs about $87,500 in Rochester to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Rochester lifestyle costs about $82,500 in Auburn.