2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Lewiston-Auburn, ME

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 Lewiston-Auburn, ME.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$100,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+0.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$269
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$948
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$1,217/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

Lewiston-Auburn, ME

COL 106.1
Gross Parity Income $100,500
Federal Income Tax -$13,280
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,688
State Income Tax -$5,165
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,367
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,384
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,983

EPI family budgets put living costs 0.5% higher in Lewiston-Auburn, ME than in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, so $100,000 in Buffalo goes about as far as $100,500 in Lewiston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,203 a month in Buffalo and $1,282 in Lewiston, $948 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $269 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Lewiston. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,217 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $50,790 in Buffalo and $49,540 in Lewiston.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Buffalo-Cheektowaga (Monthly) Lewiston-Auburn (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,203$1,282+$79+6.6%
Food & Groceries$376$371-$5-1.3%
Transportation$971$1,053+$82+8.4%
Healthcare$504$559+$55+10.9%
Other Necessities$417$394-$23-5.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,140$2,162+$22+1.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$79/mo (6.6%)
Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,203/mo Lewiston-Auburn: $1,282/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$254/mo (17.8%)
Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,423/mo Lewiston-Auburn: $1,677/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$0.11/hr (0.5%)
Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $23.36/hr Lewiston-Auburn: $23.47/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.04/hr (-4.5%)
Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $22.99/hr Lewiston-Auburn: $21.95/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 Lewiston-Auburn Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,060$85,870-$13,190 (-13.3%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,280$96,730-$6,550 (-6.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,120$75,980-$6,140 (-7.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$127,850$117,700-$10,150 (-7.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,180$102,490+$1,310 (+1.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$164,230$131,190-$33,040 (-20.1%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$84,710$86,530+$1,820 (+2.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$77,930$78,430+$500 (+0.6%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$48,620$48,310-$310 (-0.6%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$70,130$66,890-$3,240 (-4.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$172,650$138,050-$34,600 (-20.0%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$72,230$62,140-$10,090 (-14.0%)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 Lewiston-Auburn, ME Relocation FAQs

About $100,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.7 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, 106.1 in Lewiston-Auburn, ME, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Lewiston-Auburn, ME: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Lewiston-Auburn, ME to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
Relocation: Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Lewiston-Auburn, ME Overview

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Lewiston-Auburn, ME: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same salary. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Lewiston-Auburn, ME 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 Lewiston-Auburn, ME to match $100,000 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY?

About $100,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.7 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, 106.1 in Lewiston-Auburn, ME, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Lewiston-Auburn, ME cheaper than Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 0.5% higher in Lewiston-Auburn, ME than in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.