Cost of Living and Housing in Rochester, New York

Rochester has about 208,772 residents. Median gross rent is $1,081 per month and median household income is $47,213.

Comparison scope: “dataset median” below means the median among 1,211 cities across 10 states in this dataset. It is not presented as a nationwide Census median. The figures use 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates and may lag current listings.

Median Gross Rent $1,081/mo 35% below the dataset median

Median Home Value $139,600 63% below the dataset median

Median Household Income $47,213 44% below the dataset median

Owner-Occupied Homes 38% Share of occupied housing units

Rent-to-Income Baseline 27% Annual median rent ÷ household income

Home Value-to-Income 3.0x Median value ÷ household income

How Rochester compares

Rent is 35% below the dataset median, while household income is 44% below the dataset median. Within New York, Rochester ranks #14 from lowest to highest rent and #84 from highest to lowest household income among 87 cities in this dataset.

The rent-to-income figure compares two citywide medians. It is useful for broad comparison, but it is not an individual household budget or a measure of renter cost burden.

Similar-size cities in New York

Frequently asked questions

What is the median rent in Rochester?

Median gross rent is $1,081 per month in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.

What is the median home value in Rochester?

The median value of owner-occupied homes is $139,600 in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.

What is the median household income?

Median household income in Rochester is $47,213 per year.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates. Local database refreshed 2026-07-11.