Dayton vs Rochester
Metro-area medians — Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH Metro Area vs Rochester, NY Metro Area — not the cities proper.
Rochester comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.
Dayton is about 5% cheaper to live in, while Rochester households earn about 5% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.
Their widest everyday difference: Rochester has the tighter job market — 3% 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 $5,134/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 Rochester for
- + Livability (CityLedger)
- + Median household income
- + Unemployment
- + Bachelor's degree or higher
- + Average commute
More comparisons
Metros closest to Dayton and Rochester on cost, income, size, and education.
Dayton vs Rochester — frequently asked
- Is Dayton cheaper than Rochester?
- Dayton is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 5% below Rochester's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Which has higher household income, Dayton or Rochester?
- Rochester has the higher median household income — $76,453 versus $72,711 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 5% more.
- Does a paycheck go further in Dayton or Rochester?
- It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($78,442 versus $78,789).
- Which has cheaper rent, Dayton or Rochester?
- Dayton has cheaper rent — a median of $1,119/mo versus $1,172/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).