Moving from Albany to Buffalo
Albany to Buffalo: $165 less leftover
$2,528/mo leftover in Buffalo vs $2,693 in Albany after tax and rent ($165 less). −$1,980 a year — not a moving-company quote.
Albany leftover
$2,693
a month after tax and rent
Buffalo leftover
$2,528
−$165 vs Albany
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
Leftover is not a cost-of-living index. Leftover vs a COL index
Who already made this move
In 2022-2023, 116 households moved Albany → Buffalo (about 167 people, average AGI $74,664). 153 households went the other way.
Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration. Not a moving company; not a recommendation.
| Per month | Albany | Buffalo |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home | $6,015 | $5,562 |
| Rent | $1,367 | $1,169 |
| All other costs | $1,955 | $1,865 |
| Left over | $2,693 | $2,528 |
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 Albany and Buffalo 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.
Full line-by-line comparison →
What the move itself costs
About 294 road miles, 1 bedroom. Typical ranges, not quotes.
- Full-service mover
- $1,850–$3,450
- Container or pod
- $1,250–$2,350
- Rent a truck
- $550–$1,000
Other moves from Albany
Dig into Buffalo
Paycheck
Take-home pay after tax and rent, and what's left at the end of the month.
Who moved
Which metros people actually left and arrived from, according to IRS tax returns.
Rent vs buy
Asking rent, the median home, property tax, and months to a down payment.
Monthly costs
Groceries, getting around, utilities, healthcare and childcare at your household size.
Daily life
Homicide and firearm death rates, heat, cars and commute.
Kids
Public-school enrollment, pupil–teacher ratio, bedrooms and childcare.
Getting there
Typical cost to get here, then leftover after tax and rent — not a moving-company directory.
Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Buffalo than Albany?
A one-bedroom is about $1,367 in Albany versus $1,169 in Buffalo. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $165 a month lower in Buffalo. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Buffalo have state income tax?
Buffalo is in New York, which taxes wage income.
Did people actually move from Albany to Buffalo?
When IRS county-to-county data covers this pair, the page lists how many households made the Albany → Buffalo move and their average AGI. Leftover after tax and rent is shown for the same household on both sides.