same $100k income, fresh start from Phoenix

change
Buffalo, NY cityscape

swapping out of phoenix

Buffalo

ny · metro 1.2M

a dispatch from

buffalo

NY

42.89°N

78.88°W

Buffalo invented the wing (Anchor Bar, 1964, midnight, blue cheese, celery, not negotiable) and that should tell you most of what you need to know about the city's spirit. The Bills Mafia jumps through tables in subzero parking lots. Niagara Falls is 20 minutes away. The architecture (Sullivan, Wright, Olmsted parks) is genuinely world-class. The snow is part of the local mythology and the locals wear it proudly.

metro1.2M

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$86

cheaper each month than Phoenix

On paper, Buffalo and Phoenix are twins. In practice they live very differently.
landable, recorded on the buffalo entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,374/mo

21% cheaper than Phoenix(vs $1,739/mo)

02state income tax

5.85%

$279/mo more in state tax than Phoenix

vs 2.5% in Phoenix

03after rent

$6,472/mo

$86 more than Phoenix

gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.

04a house here

$280k

39% cheaper than Phoenix

vs $458k in Phoenix

05metro size

1.2M

vs 5.1M in Phoenix

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

152

pleasant days a year, in buffalo.

Phoenix has the edge here, logging 181 pleasant days a year. The trade is winter: 42 days below 20°, vs 0 in Phoenix.

But the calendar thins out: Phoenix stays 2.9× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

66/100

0% lower than Phoenix

vs 66/100 in Phoenix

Closest outdoor draw: Darien Lakes State Park, 23.9 mi.

·walk score®

91/100

6% lower than Phoenix

vs 97/100 in Phoenix

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

20

78% fewer than Phoenix

vs 91 nonstops in Phoenix

04 · see also

cities that play in buffalo's register:

compare buffalo with: