2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$99,500
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

Lewiston-Auburn, ME

COL 106.1
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$5,129
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,051
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,384
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,667
Target Market
Destination Location

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

COL 105.7
Gross Parity Income $99,500
Federal Income Tax -$13,060
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,612
State Income Tax -$4,830
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $73,998
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,436
Discretionary Cash Flow $59,562

EPI family budgets put living costs 0.5% lower in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY than in Lewiston-Auburn, ME, so $100,000 in Lewiston goes about as far as $99,500 in Buffalo. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,282 a month in Lewiston and $1,203 in Buffalo, $948 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $269 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Buffalo. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,217 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,540 in Lewiston 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 Lewiston-Auburn (Monthly) Buffalo-Cheektowaga (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,282$1,203-$79-6.2%
Food & Groceries$371$376+$5+1.3%
Transportation$1,053$971-$82-7.8%
Healthcare$559$504-$55-9.8%
Other Necessities$394$417+$23+5.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,162$2,140-$22-1.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$79/mo (-6.2%)
Lewiston-Auburn: $1,282/mo Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,203/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$254/mo (-15.1%)
Lewiston-Auburn: $1,677/mo Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,423/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$0.11/hr (-0.5%)
Lewiston-Auburn: $23.47/hr Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $23.36/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.04/hr (4.7%)
Lewiston-Auburn: $21.95/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 Lewiston-Auburn Median Buffalo-Cheektowaga Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$85,870$99,060+$13,190 (+15.4%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$96,730$103,280+$6,550 (+6.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,980$82,120+$6,140 (+8.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$117,700$127,850+$10,150 (+8.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,490$101,180-$1,310 (-1.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$131,190$164,230+$33,040 (+25.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$86,530$84,710-$1,820 (-2.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$78,430$77,930-$500 (-0.6%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$48,310$48,620+$310 (+0.6%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$66,890$70,130+$3,240 (+4.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$138,050$172,650+$34,600 (+25.1%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,140$72,230+$10,090 (+16.2%)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

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

About $99,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (106.1 in Lewiston-Auburn, ME, 105.7 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

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

About $99,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (106.1 in Lewiston-Auburn, ME, 105.7 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

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

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