Cranston vs New York
The short version
- Cranston is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 10% lower than in the New York area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $378,300 in Cranston and $777,600 in New York.
- Households earn more in Cranston ($90,206 vs $80,483 median).
- Cranston is growing faster: +2.1% since 2020 vs -2.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Cranston (24 vs 40 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Cranston, RI | New York, NY | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 84,647 | 8,584,629 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.1% | -2.5% |
| People per square mile | 2,986 | 28,572 |
| Median age | 39.6 | 38.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36% | 42% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $90,206 | $80,483 |
| Median home value | $378,300 | $777,600 |
| Home value to income | 4.2× | 9.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,375 | $1,821 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 101.8 | 112.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 103.9 | 148.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $76,300 | $84,400 |
| Homeowners | 68% | 33% |
| Top state income tax | 5.99% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7% | 8.54% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.3 | 40.3 |
| Work from home | 13% | 17% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 44% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.1% | 8% |
| Poverty rate | 10.2% | 17.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 38° / 22° | 40° / 28° |
| July high / low | 84° / 65° | 85° / 70° |
| Precipitation per year | 48 in | 50 in |
| Snowfall per year | 37 in | 30 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 12 | 17 |
| Nights below freezing | 109 | 67 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.7 | 99.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 70% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.7% | +5.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +51.9% | +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: Cranston: May to October. New York: May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Cranston weather by month and New York weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $76,300 in Cranston and $84,400 in New York. Moving from Cranston to New York, you would need about $83,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Cranston and New York
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Cranston and New York.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.