What is the cost of living in Albany-Schenectady-Troy?

Albany-Schenectady-Troy has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 99.6, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 102.6, which is above the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,702/month.

What is the median salary in Albany-Schenectady-Troy?

The median salary in Albany-Schenectady-Troy is $73,812 annually (mean: $79,166). Top occupations include Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses.

How safe is Albany-Schenectady-Troy?

The violent crime rate in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area is 380 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1661 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Albany-Schenectady-Troy?

The state of NY has 4,812 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 11.8:1. Charter schools make up 7.1% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Albany-Schenectady-Troy?

Infant center-based childcare in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area averages $13,869 per year. Preschool averages $11,679/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Albany-Schenectady-Troy a good place to relocate?

Albany-Schenectady-Troy has a Life Score of 40/100 (F), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a below-average score, several dimensions likely pull the composite down; compare specific dimensions to see which ones.

Where does Albany-Schenectady-Troy sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Albany-Schenectady-Troy ranks #220 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

BEA RPP 99.6 ranks #294 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

99.6
Cost index (US=100): $1,702
2BR rent / mo: $73,812
Median salary: 49.6
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Albany-Schenectady-Troy ranks #220 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (49.6/100), with its strongest marks in schools and job market.

#220
of 387 US metros · Near median: 19,867,248
metro-area population: 380
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 4,812
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: climate (12/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Albany-Schenectady-Troy ranks #220 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 99.6 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,702/mo, median salary $73,812; LiveAbility Score 49.6/100, strongest in schools and job market.

Signature: BEA RPP 99.6 ranks #294 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 99.6 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,702/mo.

LiveAbility 49.6/100 keeps Albany-Schenectady-Troy in the middle third (#220 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area is 439,210.

Albany-Schenectady-Troy vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

50 Top 57% higher than 43% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Albany-Schenectady-Troy housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy MSA; housing RPP 102.6 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,702/mo.

Studio

$1,217

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,417

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,702

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,041

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,253

/month

Albany-Schenectady-Troy wages and employment

Albany-Schenectady-Troy posts 439,210 total employment with median salary $73,812 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$73,812

Mean Salary

$79,166

Total Employment

439,210

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$37,590
Retail Salespersons	$35,420
Registered Nurses	$99,970
General and Operations Managers	$111,130
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	$37,810

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area from NCES.

Schools

4,812

Enrollment

2,505,133

Student:Teacher

11.8:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$13,869

per year

Toddler (Center)

$12,979

per year

Preschool (Center)

$11,679

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Albany-Schenectady-Troy's composite Life Score is 40/100 (F), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

24/100

Weak

Wages

90/100

Elite

Rent

21/100

Weak

Crime

39/100

Below average

Schools

1/100

Bottom decile

Childcare

21/100

Weak

Environment

61/100

Above average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Albany-Schenectady-Troy ranks #220 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 49.6/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Schools (99/100)

Schools

99
Job market

90
Air quality

88
Safety

39
Cost of living

24
Low hazard

23
Housing

21
Climate

12

What this shows Albany-Schenectady-Troy's strongest dimensions are schools and job market; its weakest among scored dims is climate at 12/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Albany-Schenectady-Troy to

Richmond Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario Roanoke Rochester Rochester Rockford

Metros near Albany-Schenectady-Troy on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Albany-Schenectady-Troy on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Albany-Schenectady-Troy cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Albany-Schenectady-Troy wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Albany-Schenectady-Troy?

Albany-Schenectady-Troy runs a $73,812 median salary at a 99.6 cost index, ranking #220 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Albany-Schenectady-Troy's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Albany-Schenectady-Troy head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Albany-Schenectady-Troy
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.