Buffalo, NY vs Detroit, MI
Simple answer
You'd likely save $36 a month in Buffalo.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is housing prices. The BEA housing price parity differs by 13.7 points (Buffalo 81.0, Detroit 94.7).
New York taxes wages at rates up to 10.90%. Michigan taxes wages at a flat 4.25%. Combined sales tax differs by 2.5 percentage points, higher in New York. The effective property tax gap is 0.28 percentage points, higher in New York.
After a move from New York to Michigan, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Buffalo lines up with about $78,485 in Detroit on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Buffalo
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,423
- HUD area
- Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,114
- All-items price parity
- 95.8
- Goods price parity
- 99.7
- Utilities price parity
- 129.5
- Mean commute
- 21.5 min
- Median household income
- $72,300
Detroit
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,459
- HUD area
- Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,248
- All-items price parity
- 100.3
- Goods price parity
- 98.8
- Utilities price parity
- 107.0
- Mean commute
- 26.2 min
- Median household income
- $76,403
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$78,485
Salary in Detroit that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$76,592
Gross salary in Detroit whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$76,897
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | New York | Michigan |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 10.90% | 4.25% flat |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 8.5% | 6.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.45% | 1.18% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $5,818 a year in New York and $4,702 in Michigan. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Michigan
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in New York and once in Michigan. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
BuffaloLikely eligible
DetroitLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
BuffaloLikely eligible
DetroitLikely eligible
WIC
BuffaloLikely eligible
DetroitLikely eligible
School meals
BuffaloLikely eligible
DetroitLikely eligible
LIHEAP
BuffaloMaybe
DetroitMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
BuffaloLikely eligible
DetroitLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
BuffaloLikely eligible
DetroitLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
BuffaloUnlikely
DetroitUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
BuffaloLikely eligible
DetroitLikely eligible
SSI
BuffaloUnlikely
DetroitUnlikely
| Program | Buffalo | Detroit |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Buffalo
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Buffalo.
- Buffalo and San Francisco · rent gap $2,274
- Buffalo and San Jose · rent gap $1,849
- Buffalo and Boston · rent gap $1,585
- Buffalo and New York · rent gap $1,548
- Buffalo and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,541
- Buffalo and San Diego · rent gap $1,400
- Buffalo and Miami · rent gap $1,141
- Buffalo and Seattle · rent gap $1,126
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.