Syracuse vs Ithaca
The short version
- Syracuse is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 7% lower than in the Ithaca area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $138,400 in Syracuse and $342,700 in Ithaca.
- Syracuse gets far more snow: 128 inches a year vs 63.
- Ithaca is growing faster: +4.8% since 2020 vs -2.5%.
Side by side
| Syracuse, NY | Ithaca, NY | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 144,896 | 33,632 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.5% | +4.8% |
| People per square mile | 5,782 | 6,241 |
| Median age | 31.8 | 23.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31% | 68% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $47,819 | $48,784 |
| Median home value | $138,400 | $342,700 |
| Home value to income | 2.9× | 7.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,039 | $1,447 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 95.7 | 103.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 80.7 | 128.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $71,800 | $77,500 |
| Homeowners | 42% | 30% |
| Top state income tax | 10.9% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.54% | 8.54% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.0 | 18.7 |
| Work from home | 12% | 25% |
| Take public transit | 6% | 9% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.7% | 7.3% |
| Poverty rate | 28.8% | 30.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 32° / 17° | 31° / 15° |
| July high / low | 82° / 62° | 80° / 58° |
| Precipitation per year | 40 in | 38 in |
| Snowfall per year | 128 in | 63 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 10 | 5 |
| Nights below freezing | 132 | 148 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 91.3 | 73.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 84% | 93% |
| Home prices, past year | +6.1% | -5.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +64.1% | +41.6% |
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: Syracuse: May to September. Ithaca: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Syracuse weather by month and Ithaca weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $71,800 in Syracuse and $77,500 in Ithaca. Moving from Syracuse to Ithaca, you would need about $80,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Syracuse and Ithaca
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Syracuse and Ithaca.
Which would you pick?
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