Cambridge vs Rochester
The short version
- Rochester is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 10% lower than in the Cambridge area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $139,600 in Rochester and $1,092,100 in Cambridge.
- Households earn more in Cambridge ($130,748 vs $47,213 median).
- Rochester gets far more snow: 102 inches a year vs 49.
- Cambridge is growing faster: +3.5% since 2020 vs -2.4%.
- Commutes are shorter in Rochester (19 vs 26 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Cambridge, MA | Rochester, NY | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 122,588 | 206,108 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.5% | -2.4% |
| People per square mile | 19,163 | 5,763 |
| Median age | 30.4 | 33.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 81% | 30% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $130,748 | $47,213 |
| Median home value | $1,092,100 | $139,600 |
| Home value to income | 8.4× | 3.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,787 | $1,081 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 108.3 | 97.0 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.4 | 87.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,200 | $72,800 |
| Homeowners | 34% | 38% |
| Top state income tax | 9% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 8.54% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 25.8 | 19.3 |
| Work from home | 31% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 18% | 6% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.4% | 7.9% |
| Poverty rate | 12.8% | 27.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 37° / 23° | 33° / 19° |
| July high / low | 82° / 66° | 83° / 62° |
| Precipitation per year | 44 in | 35 in |
| Snowfall per year | 49 in | 102 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 14 | 8 |
| Nights below freezing | 92 | 129 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 96.9 | 93.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 71% | 74% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.8% | +4.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +39.7% | +61.9% |
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: Cambridge: May to October. Rochester: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Cambridge weather by month and Rochester weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $81,200 in Cambridge and $72,800 in Rochester. Moving from Cambridge to Rochester, you would need about $67,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Cambridge and Rochester
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Cambridge and Rochester.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.