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CityLedger

Binghamton vs Utica

Metro-area medians — Binghamton, NY Metro Area vs Utica-Rome, NY Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Utica comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Binghamton and Utica cost about the same to live in, but Utica households earn about 9% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Utica.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Binghamton, NY
$57,794
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$62,235
real value after local prices
Utica, NY
$57,794
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$62,359
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Utica leaves you about $124/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Binghamton
Utica
Livability (CityLedger)
39/100
49/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
92.9
92.7
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$70,641
$77,239
Median household income
$65,599
$71,584
Median rent
$981/mo
$888/mo
Median home value
$161,600
$198,600
Unemployment
4.8%
4%
Bachelor's degree or higher
29.1%
28.1%
Average commute
19.9 min
21 min
Air quality (median AQI)
27
Avg temperature
46°F
47°F

Choose Binghamton for

  • + Median home value
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
Full Binghamton profile →

Choose Utica for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Median rent
  • + Unemployment
Full Utica profile →

Binghamton vs Utica — frequently asked

Is Binghamton cheaper than Utica?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Binghamton and Utica metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Binghamton or Utica?
Utica has the higher median household income — $71,584 versus $65,599 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 9% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Binghamton or Utica?
A paycheck stretches further in Utica. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $77,239 there versus $70,641 in Binghamton.
Which has cheaper rent, Binghamton or Utica?
Utica has cheaper rent — a median of $888/mo versus $981/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).