2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Billings, MT to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs for a move from Billings, MT to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$99,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-0.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$571
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$852
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$1,423/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

Billings, MT

COL 105.8
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,289
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,891
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,584
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,307
Target Market
Destination Location

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

COL 105.7
Gross Parity Income $99,900
Federal Income Tax -$13,148
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,642
State Income Tax -$4,854
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,256
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,436
Discretionary Cash Flow $59,820

EPI family budgets put living costs 0.1% lower in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY than in Billings, MT, so $100,000 in Billings goes about as far as $99,900 in Buffalo. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,132 a month in Billings and $1,203 in Buffalo, $852 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $571 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Buffalo. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,423 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,060 in Billings and $50,790 in Buffalo.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Billings (Monthly) Buffalo-Cheektowaga (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,132$1,203+$71+6.3%
Food & Groceries$351$376+$25+7.1%
Transportation$1,076$971-$105-9.8%
Healthcare$374$504+$130+34.8%
Other Necessities$424$417-$7-1.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,092$2,140+$48+2.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$71/mo (6.3%)
Billings: $1,132/mo Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,203/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$9/mo (-0.6%)
Billings: $1,432/mo Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,423/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$0.03/hr (-0.1%)
Billings: $23.39/hr Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $23.36/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.23/hr (5.7%)
Billings: $21.76/hr Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $22.99/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Billings Median Buffalo-Cheektowaga Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$82,300$99,060+$16,760 (+20.4%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$96,980$103,280+$6,300 (+6.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,780$82,120+$6,340 (+8.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$100,440$127,850+$27,410 (+27.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$85,540$101,180+$15,640 (+18.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,060$84,710-$14,350 (-14.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$137,240$164,230+$26,990 (+19.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$80,980$77,930-$3,050 (-3.8%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$59,680$48,620-$11,060 (-18.5%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$129,280$172,650+$43,370 (+33.5%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$81,690$72,230-$9,460 (-11.6%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$62,370$70,130+$7,760 (+12.4%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

Billings, MT to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Relocation FAQs

About $99,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.8 in Billings, MT, 105.7 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Billings, MT to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Billings, MT
Relocation: Billings, MT to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Overview

Billings, MT to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY: 2026 federal, state and local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs compared on the same salary. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Billings, MT to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to match $100,000 in Billings, MT?

About $99,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.8 in Billings, MT, 105.7 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY cheaper than Billings, MT?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 0.1% lower in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY than in Billings, MT. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.