Pros and Cons of Living in Buffalo

Buffalo's genuine trade-off is substantial housing affordability, a real 2010-to-2020 Census population reversal, and a genuinely deep healthcare/education economic anchor, against New York's elevated property-tax burden, a real, disclosed spread on Buffalo's current population direction, and a still-elevated (if genuinely improving) overall crime index.

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Pro: Substantial Housing Affordability and No Separate Local Income Tax

As established on the base record, Buffalo's typical home price runs well below the national median (Zillow's average: approximately $246,321-$249,081), and unlike New York City and Yonkers, Buffalo itself levies NO separate local income tax -- genuine, substantial cost-of-living advantages relative to many other New York and major-US markets covered elsewhere in this project.

Pro: A Real, Genuine 2010-to-2020 Population Reversal, and a Genuinely Deep Healthcare/Education Economy

Buffalo's real 6.5% population growth between the 2010 and 2020 Census counts -- its first decennial-census growth in 70 years -- distinguishes its story from Cleveland's own still-declining trajectory covered elsewhere in this project. That growth coincides with a genuinely deep healthcare/education economic anchor: Kaleida Health, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (founded 1898), and the University at Buffalo (SUNY's largest campus) together anchor the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

Con: New York's Elevated Property Tax Burden Lands Hard in Buffalo Specifically

As detailed on the property-taxes topic page, Buffalo's own effective property tax rate ran approximately 2.63% -- well above the roughly 0.90% national average, consistent with New York's generally elevated property-tax reputation, even though the city's own low home values keep resulting dollar bills more moderate than the rate alone might suggest.

Con: A Real, Disclosed, and Currently Unresolved Population-Direction Spread

As detailed on the base record, Buffalo's post-2020 population trajectory carries a real, disclosed spread across sources: some 2026 aggregator projections show continued modest growth (toward roughly 285,000), while others show a renewed modest decline (toward roughly 251,000-274,000) -- this record does not resolve that spread in either direction, and movers should treat any single figure as directional rather than certain.

Con: A Genuinely Elevated Overall Crime Index, Even Amid a Real, Sustained 2025-2026 Improvement

As detailed on the crime-safety topic page, Buffalo's overall crime index ran well above the national average per aggregator sources reviewed, even as the city's real, dramatic 2025-2026 violent-crime decline -- unlike Cleveland's own 2026 stall -- genuinely continued rather than reversing. This record states both the elevated baseline and the real improvement plainly.

Key takeaways

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-25. Independent research; not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.