Cost Of Living in Rensselaer, NY

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Rensselaer	New York	National
Cost of living	98	117	100
Goods & Services	106	108	100
Groceries	103	102	100
Health care	93	103	100
Housing	88	145	100
Transportation	97	105	100
Utilities	102	100	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Rensselaer is 16% lower than the New York average
The cost of living in Rensselaer is 2% lower than the national average
Rensselaer housing is 12% lower than the national average
New York general sales tax is 22% lower than the national average
New York state income tax is 54% higher than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$73,729	$6,144	$1,720	$2,212
Renters	$49,356	$4,113	$1,152	$1,481

To approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Rensselaer, NY, we can look at the percentage of income that is available to be spent on monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side, a consumer should not spend more than 28% of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36% of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in Rensselaer have a median income of $73,729. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $1,720 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $49,356, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $1,152.

New York Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
New York	4%	8.875%

New York Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
New York	4%	10.9%

Goods & Services

Item	Rensselaer	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$28.28	$24.26	16.6%
Beauty Salon	$51.36	$45.56	12.7%
Toothpaste	$3.74	$3.70	1.1%
Shampoo	$1.28	$1.28	0.3%
Movie	$13.08	$12.13	7.8%
Bowling	$15.96	$18.00	11.3%

Groceries

Item	Rensselaer	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$6.06	$5.84	3.7%
Fried Chicken	$1.60	$1.57	1.5%
Milk	$4.85	$4.67	3.9%
Potatoes	$5.09	$4.93	3.2%
Pizza	$14.69	$12.09	21.5%
Beer	$10.90	$10.41	4.7%

Health Care

Item	Rensselaer	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$132.47	$125.68	5.4%
Doctor	$111.33	$135.78	18.0%
Dentist	$111.69	$113.29	1.4%
Ibuprofen	$10.90	$10.65	2.3%
Lipitor	$436.57	$468.60	6.8%

Housing

Item	Rensselaer	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$155,200.00	$184,700.00	16.0%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$2,531.65	$2,346.69	7.9%
Apartment Rent	$931.00	$949.00	1.9%

Transportation

Item	Rensselaer	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.55	$3.46	2.5%
Tire Balancing	$50.33	$59.92	16.0%

Utilities

Item	Rensselaer	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$196.70	$193.99	1.4%
Phone	$195.71	$192.25	1.8%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Schenectady, NY	65,336	94	6.5%
Green Island, NY	2,647	95	4.7%
Scotia, NY	7,648	97	2.7%
Waterford, NY	2,141	97	2.6%
Watervliet, NY	9,976	98	2.0%
Rensselaer, NY	9,223	98	1.6%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
West Perth, ON	9,223	n/a
Molalla, OR	9,224	123	22.6%
Nolensville, TN	9,221	144	44.3%
Dunn Loring, VA	9,217	195	95.2%
Detroit Lakes, MN	9,229	96	4.2%
Rensselaer, NY	9,223	98	1.6%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in Rensselaer, NY