Elmira vs Ithaca leftover
Moving to Ithaca costs you $638 a month
$1,724/mo leftover in Ithaca vs $2,362 in Elmira after tax and rent ($638 less). −$7,656 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Elmira leftover
$2,362
a month after tax and rent
Ithaca leftover
$1,724
−$638 vs Elmira
Compare Elmira to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Elmira.
Monthly gap
Elmira → Ithaca
$638
less / month in Elmira
$1,724 in Ithaca · $2,362 in Elmira · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 46 households moved Elmira → Ithaca (avg AGI $115,152). 71 went the other way. The whole move →
−$638 / mo
| Per month | Elmira | Ithaca | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,000 | $6,697 | −$303 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,711 | $1,605 | −$107 |
| Take-home pay | $5,289 | $5,092 | −$197 |
| Rent | $898 | $1,571 | +$673 |
| Getting around | $590 | $359 | −$231 |
| Groceries | $397 | $397 | $0 |
| Healthcare | $446 | $446 | $0 |
| Utilities | $248 | $248 | $0 |
| Everything else | $347 | $347 | $0 |
| Left over | $2,362 | $1,724 | −$638 |
To break even in Ithaca, you'd need to earn
$92,000
Household gross, versus $84,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Elmira does now.
The tax difference alone
+$200
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.4% in Elmira, 24.0% in Ithaca.
More about Ithaca
Elmira, NY in full
State income tax topping out at 9.65%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,069 and 164 sunny days; commutes average 20 minutes.
Ithaca, NY in full
State income tax topping out at 9.65%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,870 and 155 sunny days; commutes average 21 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Ithaca on Ithaca wages.
Ithaca → Elmira →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Ithaca than Elmira?
A one-bedroom is about $898 in Elmira versus $1,571 in Ithaca. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $638 a month lower in Ithaca. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Ithaca have state income tax?
Ithaca is in New York, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Elmira to Ithaca?
Take-home pay is recalculated under New York tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Elmira and Ithaca moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.