Is Poughkeepsie cheaper than Vallejo?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Poughkeepsie and Vallejo metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Poughkeepsie or Vallejo?

Household incomes are similar — $95,125 in the Poughkeepsie metro versus $94,930 in Vallejo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Does a paycheck go further in Poughkeepsie or Vallejo?

It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($86,934 versus $87,510).

Which has cheaper rent, Poughkeepsie or Vallejo?

Poughkeepsie has cheaper rent — a median of $1,688/mo versus $2,223/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Poughkeepsie vs Vallejo

Metro-area medians — Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY Metro Area vs Vallejo, CA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Poughkeepsie comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 6 clearly-decided measures.

Poughkeepsie and Vallejo are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

Their widest everyday difference: Poughkeepsie has the tighter job market — 4.9% unemployment versus 6.8%.

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.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Poughkeepsie, NY

$57,794

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$52,817

real value after local prices

Vallejo, CA

$58,296

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$53,740

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Vallejo leaves you about $923/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.

Measure

Poughkeepsie

Vallejo

Livability (CityLedger)

52/100

44/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

109.4

108.5

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$86,934

$87,510

Median household income

$95,125

$94,930

Median rent

$1,688/mo

$2,223/mo

Median home value

$434,900

$629,700

Unemployment

4.9%

6.8%

Bachelor's degree or higher

37.1%

29.7%

Average commute

33.9 min

30.4 min

Air quality (median AQI)

—

Avg temperature

51°F

62°F

Choose Poughkeepsie for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Median rent
+ Median home value
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Poughkeepsie profile →

Choose Vallejo for

+ Average commute

Full Vallejo profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Poughkeepsie and Vallejo on cost, income, size, and education.

Poughkeepsie vs Stockton→Poughkeepsie vs Worcester→Poughkeepsie vs Manchester→Vallejo vs Salinas→Vallejo vs Oxnard→Vallejo vs Bremerton→

Poughkeepsie vs Vallejo — frequently asked

Is Poughkeepsie cheaper than Vallejo?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Poughkeepsie and Vallejo metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Poughkeepsie or Vallejo?: Household incomes are similar — $95,125 in the Poughkeepsie metro versus $94,930 in Vallejo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
Does a paycheck go further in Poughkeepsie or Vallejo?: It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($86,934 versus $87,510).
Which has cheaper rent, Poughkeepsie or Vallejo?: Poughkeepsie has cheaper rent — a median of $1,688/mo versus $2,223/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).