Living here
Cost of living in Rochester
Housing is cheaper than the US average. Rents, home prices, taxes and how far a paycheck goes.
Median rent
$1,039/mo
23% below US
Median home value
$120,600
60% below US
Median household income
$46,628
41% below US
Rent as share of income
27%
US 21%
Home price to income
2.6×
US 3.9×
Sales tax
8%
Rent by number of bedrooms
HUD 2027 fair market rents for Rochester, NY MSA (gross rent including utilities, near the 40th percentile of local rents). Source: HUD USER.
How Rochester compares
- Rochester$1,039
- New York$1,576
- United States$1,348
- Niagara Falls$784
- Syracuse$998
- Albany$1,178
- Yonkers$1,730
- White Plains$2,151
- Staten Island$1,689
- North Hempstead$2,276
- Huntington$2,347
- Rochester$120,600
- New York$403,000
- United States$303,400
- Niagara Falls$104,400
- Syracuse$125,100
- Albany$223,000
- Yonkers$478,000
- White Plains$624,100
- Staten Island$658,500
- North Hempstead$870,500
- Huntington$733,000
Taxes
Compare with nearby cities
Life in Rochester
Questions
Is Rochester expensive to live in?
Housing in Rochester is cheaper than the national average: median rent is $1,039 (23% below US) and the median home value is $120,600 (60% below US).
How much is rent in Rochester?
The median gross rent is $1,039 a month. HUD’s 2027 fair market rents for the area are studio $1,005, 1 bedroom $1,131, 2 bedrooms $1,416, 3 bedrooms $1,706, 4 bedrooms $1,875.
How much of their income do renters spend in Rochester?
At the median, a year’s rent ($12,468) equals about 27% of the median household income ($46,628); nationally it’s about 21%.
What are taxes like in Rochester?
Sales tax is 8% and property taxes run about 2.55% of home value a year.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates; HUD fair market rents; NYS Dept. of Taxation and Finance, Publication 718 (2/25), Sales and Use Tax Rates by Jurisdiction, effective March 1, 2025.