Buffalo vs Pittsburgh
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $164,200 in Buffalo and $205,800 in Pittsburgh.
- Households earn more in Pittsburgh ($65,742 vs $50,041 median).
- Pittsburgh has the warmer winter: January highs of 36°F vs 32°F.
- Buffalo gets far more snow: 95 inches a year vs 44.
- Pittsburgh is growing faster: +1.5% since 2020 vs -1.3%.
Side by side
| Buffalo, NY | Pittsburgh, PA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 274,613 | 307,632 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.3% | +1.5% |
| People per square mile | 6,801 | 5,556 |
| Median age | 34.3 | 33.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31% | 49% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $50,041 | $65,742 |
| Median home value | $164,200 | $205,800 |
| Home value to income | 3.3× | 3.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,046 | $1,261 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 95.8 | 94.7 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 81.0 | 72.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $71,900 | $71,000 |
| Homeowners | 43% | 48% |
| Top state income tax | 10.9% | 3.07% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.54% | 6.34% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.9 | 22.7 |
| Work from home | 11% | 22% |
| Take public transit | 8% | 12% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.3% | 6.1% |
| Poverty rate | 26% | 20.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 32° / 19° | 36° / 21° |
| July high / low | 80° / 63° | 83° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 41 in | 40 in |
| Snowfall per year | 95 in | 44 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 3 | 10 |
| Nights below freezing | 124 | 114 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.7 | 98.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 64% | 43% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.4% | +3.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +50.8% | +36.7% |
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: Buffalo: May to September. Pittsburgh: May to October.
Full monthly tables: Buffalo weather by month and Pittsburgh weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $71,900 in Buffalo and $71,000 in Pittsburgh. Moving from Buffalo to Pittsburgh, you would need about $74,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Buffalo and Pittsburgh
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Buffalo and Pittsburgh.
Which would you pick?
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