New York vs Renton
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $672,600 in Renton and $777,600 in New York.
- Households earn more in Renton ($100,432 vs $80,483 median).
- Renton has the warmer winter: January highs of 48°F vs 40°F.
- New York gets far more snow: 30 inches a year vs 6.
- Commutes are shorter in Renton (30 vs 40 minutes each way).
- Washington has no state income tax on wages; New York's top rate is 10.9%.
Side by side
| New York, NY | Renton, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 8,584,629 | 104,975 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.5% | -1.8% |
| People per square mile | 28,572 | 4,459 |
| Median age | 38.2 | 36.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 42% | 40% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $80,483 | $100,432 |
| Median home value | $777,600 | $672,600 |
| Home value to income | 9.7× | 6.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,821 | $1,998 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 112.6 | 111.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.6 | 151.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $84,400 | $83,300 |
| Homeowners | 33% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | 10.9% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.54% | 9.57% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 40.3 | 29.7 |
| Work from home | 17% | 22% |
| Take public transit | 44% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8% | 4.9% |
| Poverty rate | 17.9% | 8.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 40° / 28° | 48° / 38° |
| July high / low | 85° / 70° | 77° / 57° |
| Precipitation per year | 50 in | 39 in |
| Snowfall per year | 30 in | 6 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 17 | 4 |
| Nights below freezing | 67 | 25 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.2 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 42% | 56% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.7% | +0.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.1% | +24.6% |
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: New York: May and September to October. Renton: May to September.
Full monthly tables: New York weather by month and Renton weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $84,400 in New York and $83,300 in Renton. Moving from New York to Renton, you would need about $74,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between New York and Renton
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from New York and Renton.
Which would you pick?
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