Ithaca vs Lowell
The short version
- Ithaca is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Lowell area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $342,700 in Ithaca and $429,200 in Lowell.
- Households earn more in Lowell ($78,658 vs $48,784 median).
- Commutes are shorter in Ithaca (19 vs 28 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Ithaca, NY | Lowell, MA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 33,632 | 119,971 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4.8% | +3.8% |
| People per square mile | 6,241 | 8,815 |
| Median age | 23.3 | 35.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 68% | 30% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $48,784 | $78,658 |
| Median home value | $342,700 | $429,200 |
| Home value to income | 7.0× | 5.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,447 | $1,625 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.3 | 108.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 128.4 | 148.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,500 | $81,200 |
| Homeowners | 30% | 43% |
| Top state income tax | 10.9% | 9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.54% | 6.25% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.7 | 27.9 |
| Work from home | 25% | 11% |
| Take public transit | 9% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.3% | 5.7% |
| Poverty rate | 30.4% | 16.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 31° / 15° | 35° / 19° |
| July high / low | 80° / 58° | 83° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 38 in | 41 in |
| Snowfall per year | 63 in | 59 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 5 | 15 |
| Nights below freezing | 148 | 123 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 73.9 | 96.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 93% | 71% |
| Home prices, past year | -5.2% | +2.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +41.6% | +39.7% |
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: Ithaca: May to September. Lowell: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Ithaca weather by month and Lowell weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $77,500 in Ithaca and $81,200 in Lowell. Moving from Ithaca to Lowell, you would need about $78,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Ithaca and Lowell
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Ithaca and Lowell.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.