Denver-Aurora-Centennial → Buffalo-Cheektowaga
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Denver-Aurora-Centennial to Buffalo-Cheektowaga is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 105.8 to 95.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $746/mo.
- -$3,906
- BLS median salary lower in Buffalo-Cheektowaga
- 481 to 380
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 16.6:1 to 11.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $1,048
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Buffalo-Cheektowaga
BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.
Pros of Moving
- + 10% lower cost of living
- + $746/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Better student-teacher ratios
Cons of Moving
- - $4K lower median salary
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 105.8 to 95.8, so each dollar covers more in Buffalo-Cheektowaga (ratio 0.91). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $746/mo ($8,952/yr) from $2,089 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial to $1,343 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga.
Buffalo-Cheektowaga leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Buffalo-Cheektowaga sits #189 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Denver-Aurora-Centennial is #377/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $3,906 lower ($78,519 → $74,613). Labor-market size: 1,580,940 tracked jobs at origin vs 524,180 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Colorado 46 (F, #44/51) vs New York 46 (F, #46/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 80
- Property tax
- 90
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 26
- Income tax
- 80
- Property tax
- 48
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 96
Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Denver-Aurora-Centennial to see what you'd need to earn in Buffalo-Cheektowaga to maintain the same purchasing power.
Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026