Cost of living in Buffalo, New York

Buffalo, New York has about 276,854 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $164,200.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Erie County is $1,423 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Buffalo. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY metro area, prices sit at 95.8 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

New York taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 8.5% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Buffalo's exact store tax.

Some places in New York add a local wage tax. In 2023 the state average was about 1.60% of income. That is not a Buffalo bill.

In July 2026, a typical New York home paid 29.90¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Buffalo's bill.

For the week of October 12, 2026, EIA's all-grades gasoline price in New York was $4.487 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $2,153.76 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in New York shares this price.

Among 745 places we list in New York with a rent figure, 527 have higher typical rent than Buffalo.