Ithaca vs Albany leftover
You'd keep $946 more a month in Albany
$2,678/mo leftover in Albany vs $1,732 in Ithaca after tax and rent ($946 more). +$11,352 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Ithaca leftover
$1,732
a month after tax and rent
Albany leftover
$2,678
+$946 vs Ithaca
Compare Ithaca to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Ithaca.
Monthly gap
Ithaca → Albany
$946
more / month in Albany
$2,678 in Albany · $1,732 in Ithaca · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
+$946 / mo
| Per month | Ithaca | Albany | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,708 | $8,103 | +$1,395 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,609 | $2,103 | +$494 |
| Take-home pay | $5,100 | $6,000 | +$901 |
| Rent | $1,571 | $1,367 | −$204 |
| Getting around | $359 | $517 | +$158 |
| Groceries | $397 | $397 | $0 |
| Healthcare | $446 | $446 | $0 |
| Utilities | $248 | $248 | $0 |
| Everything else | $347 | $347 | $0 |
| Left over | $1,732 | $2,678 | +$946 |
To break even in Albany, you'd need to earn
$79,500
Household gross, versus $80,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Ithaca does now.
The tax difference alone
−$963
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.0% in Ithaca, 25.9% in Albany.
More about Albany
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.
Albany, NY in full
State income tax topping out at 9.65%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,627 and 178 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Albany on Albany wages.
Albany → Ithaca →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Albany than Ithaca?
A one-bedroom is about $1,571 in Ithaca versus $1,367 in Albany. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $946 a month higher in Albany. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Albany have state income tax?
Albany is in New York, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Ithaca to Albany?
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 Ithaca and Albany 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.