Arlington vs New Rochelle
The short version
- Arlington is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the New Rochelle area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $702,500 in New Rochelle and $895,000 in Arlington.
- Households earn more in Arlington ($142,114 vs $109,167 median).
- Arlington has the warmer winter: January highs of 45°F vs 40°F.
- New Rochelle gets far more snow: 30 inches a year vs 14.
- New Rochelle is growing faster: +7.7% since 2020 vs +0%.
- Commutes are shorter in Arlington (26 vs 33 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Arlington, VA | New Rochelle, NY | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 236,254 | 85,864 |
| Growth since 2020 | n/a | +7.7% |
| People per square mile | 9,088 | 8,348 |
| Median age | 35.5 | 42.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 77% | 52% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $142,114 | $109,167 |
| Median home value | $895,000 | $702,500 |
| Home value to income | 6.3× | 6.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,322 | $1,917 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 108.9 | 112.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 151.1 | 148.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,700 | $84,400 |
| Homeowners | 41% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | 5.75% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.77% | 8.54% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.2 | 32.5 |
| Work from home | 35% | 18% |
| Take public transit | 14% | 16% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.3% | 5.9% |
| Poverty rate | 7.4% | 10.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 45° / 30° | 40° / 29° |
| July high / low | 90° / 72° | 86° / 72° |
| Precipitation per year | 42 in | 45 in |
| Snowfall per year | 14 in | 30 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 40 | 22 |
| Nights below freezing | 60 | 62 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 66.8 | 96.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 59% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.6% | +5.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +33.9% | +45.1% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Arlington: April to June and September to October. New Rochelle: May to June and August to October.
Full monthly tables: Arlington weather by month and New Rochelle weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $81,700 in Arlington and $84,400 in New Rochelle. Moving from Arlington to New Rochelle, you would need about $77,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Arlington and New Rochelle
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Arlington and New Rochelle.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.