Can you afford to live in Buffalo?

Median household income, home values and rent in Buffalo, NY — how they've changed since 2015 and how much of a typical paycheck housing takes compared with the rest of the country.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

This story was assembled using AI and public data sources.

What it costs to live in Buffalo.

Median household income: $48,050 — +50.5% since 2015 (not adjusted for inflation)

Median gross rent: $989/mo — +41.5% since 2015

Median home value, 2015 to 2023

• 2015: 68800
• 2023: 152300

Median household income

• Buffalo: 48050
• Erie County: 71175
• NY: 84578
• U.S.: 78538

Median gross rent

• Buffalo: 989
• Erie County: 1037
• NY: 1576
• U.S.: 1348

Share of income a typical renter spends on rent: 31.3% — U.S.: 30.2%

What it means

The typical household here earns $48,050 — far lower than the national figure of $78,538.

The typical renter here spends 31.3% of household income on rent, above the 30% level housing agencies use to define cost burden.

Since 2015, income has kept pace with rent here (+50.5% versus +41.5%), before adjusting for inflation.