2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$88,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-11.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$360
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$132
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$492/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

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT

COL 119.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,500
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,680
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,304
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,376
Target Market
Destination Location

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

COL 105.7
Gross Parity Income $88,400
Federal Income Tax -$10,618
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,763
State Income Tax -$4,177
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $66,843
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,436
Discretionary Cash Flow $52,407

EPI family budgets put living costs 11.6% lower in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY than in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT, so $100,000 in Provo goes about as far as $88,400 in Buffalo. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,192 a month in Provo and $1,203 in Buffalo, $132 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $360 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Buffalo. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $492 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,010 in Provo 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi (Monthly) Buffalo-Cheektowaga (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,192$1,203+$11+0.9%
Food & Groceries$343$376+$33+9.6%
Transportation$1,136$971-$165-14.5%
Healthcare$519$504-$15-2.9%
Other Necessities$468$417-$51-10.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,110$2,140+$30+1.4%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$11/mo (0.9%)
Provo-Orem-Lehi: $1,192/mo Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,203/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$60/mo (4.4%)
Provo-Orem-Lehi: $1,363/mo Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,423/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$3.06/hr (-11.6%)
Provo-Orem-Lehi: $26.42/hr Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $23.36/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$0.60/hr (2.7%)
Provo-Orem-Lehi: $22.39/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 Provo-Orem-Lehi Median Buffalo-Cheektowaga Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$95,790$103,280+$7,490 (+7.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,780$99,060+$17,280 (+21.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$131,210$127,850-$3,360 (-2.6%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,700$82,120+$6,420 (+8.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$88,180$101,180+$13,000 (+14.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,860$77,930+$17,070 (+28.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$63,690$84,710+$21,020 (+33.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$154,990$164,230+$9,240 (+6.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$168,730$172,650+$3,920 (+2.3%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$45,710$48,620+$2,910 (+6.4%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,130$72,230+$15,100 (+26.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,210$163,090+$27,880 (+20.6%)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

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Relocation FAQs

About $88,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (119.5 in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT, 105.7 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT
Relocation: Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Overview

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 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: Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT?

About $88,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (119.5 in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT, 105.7 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY cheaper than Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 11.6% lower in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY than in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.