New York vs Stamford
The short version
- Stamford is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the New York area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $624,400 in Stamford and $777,600 in New York.
- Households earn more in Stamford ($111,586 vs $80,483 median).
- Stamford is growing faster: +3% since 2020 vs -2.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Stamford (29 vs 40 minutes each way).
Side by side
| New York, NY | Stamford, CT | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 8,584,629 | 139,535 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.5% | +3% |
| People per square mile | 28,572 | 3,708 |
| Median age | 38.2 | 38.4 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 42% | 52% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $80,483 | $111,586 |
| Median home value | $777,600 | $624,400 |
| Home value to income | 9.7× | 5.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,821 | $2,276 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 112.6 | 106.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.6 | 150.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $84,400 | $80,100 |
| Homeowners | 33% | 49% |
| Top state income tax | 10.9% | 6.99% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.54% | 6.35% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 40.3 | 28.5 |
| Work from home | 17% | 19% |
| Take public transit | 44% | 10% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8% | 4.9% |
| Poverty rate | 17.9% | 10.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 40° / 28° | 38° / 22° |
| July high / low | 85° / 70° | 85° / 64° |
| Precipitation per year | 50 in | 52 in |
| Snowfall per year | 30 in | 34 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 17 | 18 |
| Nights below freezing | 67 | 119 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | n/a |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.2 | n/a |
| Good air days, 2025 | 42% | 65% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.7% | +5.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.1% | +53.3% |
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. Stamford: May and July to August.
Full monthly tables: New York weather by month and Stamford 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 $80,100 in Stamford. Moving from New York to Stamford, you would need about $71,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between New York and Stamford
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 Stamford.
Which would you pick?
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