2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Billings, MT

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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Billings, MT.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$100,100
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

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

COL 105.7
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,860
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,320
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,436
Discretionary Cash Flow $59,884
Target Market
Destination Location

Billings, MT

COL 105.8
Gross Parity Income $100,100
Federal Income Tax -$13,192
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,658
State Income Tax -$4,295
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,956
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,584
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,372

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

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Buffalo-Cheektowaga (Monthly) Billings (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,203$1,132-$71-5.9%
Food & Groceries$376$351-$25-6.6%
Transportation$971$1,076+$105+10.8%
Healthcare$504$374-$130-25.8%
Other Necessities$417$424+$7+1.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,140$2,092-$48-2.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$71/mo (-5.9%)
Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,203/mo Billings: $1,132/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$9/mo (0.6%)
Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,423/mo Billings: $1,432/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$0.03/hr (0.1%)
Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $23.36/hr Billings: $23.39/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.23/hr (-5.4%)
Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $22.99/hr Billings: $21.76/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

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

Occupation Title Industry Sector Buffalo-Cheektowaga Median Billings Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,060$82,300-$16,760 (-16.9%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,280$96,980-$6,300 (-6.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,120$75,780-$6,340 (-7.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$127,850$100,440-$27,410 (-21.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,180$85,540-$15,640 (-15.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$84,710$99,060+$14,350 (+16.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$164,230$137,240-$26,990 (-16.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$77,930$80,980+$3,050 (+3.9%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$48,620$59,680+$11,060 (+22.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$172,650$129,280-$43,370 (-25.1%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$72,230$81,690+$9,460 (+13.1%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$70,130$62,370-$7,760 (-11.1%)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

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Billings, MT Relocation FAQs

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

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Billings, MT: 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: Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Billings, MT 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 Billings, MT to match $100,000 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY?

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

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

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