Buffalo vs Dayton
Metro-area medians — Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Metro Area vs Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH Metro Area — not the cities proper.
Buffalo comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.
Dayton costs about 3% less to live in, and household incomes are similar. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Dayton.
Their widest everyday difference: Buffalo has the tighter job market — 4.2% unemployment versus 4.9%.
For your salary & household
Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.
On $75,000 for just you, Dayton leaves you about $4,394/yr better off after tax and local prices.
Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.
Choose Buffalo for
- + Livability (CityLedger)
- + Unemployment
- + Bachelor's degree or higher
- + Average commute
Choose Dayton for
- + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
- + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
- + Median home value
More comparisons
Metros closest to Buffalo and Dayton on cost, income, size, and education.
Buffalo vs Dayton — frequently asked
- Is Buffalo cheaper than Dayton?
- Dayton is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 3% below Buffalo's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Which has higher household income, Buffalo or Dayton?
- Household incomes are similar — $72,300 in the Buffalo metro versus $72,711 in Dayton (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
- Does a paycheck go further in Buffalo or Dayton?
- A paycheck stretches further in Dayton. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $78,442 there versus $75,435 in Buffalo.
- Which has cheaper rent, Buffalo or Dayton?
- Rents are close — $1,114/mo in the Buffalo metro versus $1,119/mo in Dayton (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).