Binghamton composite
46.9 /100
Grade C+ · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Binghamton vs Syracuse
Binghamton, NY and Syracuse, NY side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 46.9
- Binghamton Life Score
- C+
- Binghamton grade
- 46.9
- Syracuse Life Score
- C+
- Syracuse grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Binghamton scores higher on 4 (cost of living, rent, safety, childcare) and Syracuse on 3 (wages, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Binghamton vs Syracuse across all seven dimensions (each scored 0–100 as a national percentile, bigger area = stronger overall)
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Binghamton Syracuse ◗
cost of living
55
39
wages
74
83
rent
80
39
safety
39
37
schools
1
5
childcare
21
19
environment
9
88
Binghamton and Syracuse differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Binghamton has a cost-of-living index of 92.9 vs Syracuse's 95.7 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $70,400 in Binghamton and $71,924 in Syracuse. A 2-bedroom averages $1,103/mo vs $1,392/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Binghamton vs Syracuse Comparison
Binghamton (NY) and Syracuse (NY) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 92.9 for Binghamton against 95.7 for Syracuse, a 2.9-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,103/mo in Binghamton and $1,392/mo in Syracuse, a $289/mo difference that compounds to $3,468 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $70,400 across 89,220 jobs in Binghamton against $71,924 across 291,140 jobs in Syracuse. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Binghamton carries the same local purchasing power as $103,100 in Syracuse - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 380.0 per 100,000 residents in NY vs 380.0 in NY, with property-crime rates of 1661.2 and 1661.2 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: NY lists 4,812 public schools at a 11.8:1 student-teacher ratio, while NY lists 4,812 schools at 11.8:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $13,869/yr in the Binghamton area versus $13,869/yr in Syracuse - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Binghamton and Syracuse are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Syracuse composite
46.9 /100
Grade C+ · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
-2.9 pts
Binghamton vs Syracuse BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$289 /mo
Syracuse priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Binghamton
Binghamton composite (Grade C+)
Syracuse
Syracuse composite (Grade C+)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Binghamton | Syracuse |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 92.9 | 95.7 |
| Goods | 99.7 | 99.7 |
| Services | 131.6 | 133.4 |
| Rents | 69.7 | 80.7 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Syracuse gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Binghamton?
$
Equivalent in Syracuse:
$103,100
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Binghamton: 92.9, Syracuse: 95.7, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Binghamton | Syracuse |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $783/mo | $995/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $868/mo | $1,123/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,103/mo | $1,392/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,412/mo | $1,691/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,622/mo | $1,848/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Binghamton | Syracuse |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $70,400 | $71,924 |
| Total Employment | 89,220 | 291,140 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Binghamton (NY) | Syracuse (NY) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 380.0 | 380.0 |
| Property Crime | 1661.2 | 1661.2 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | NY | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 4,812 | 4,812 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 11.8:1 | 11.8:1 |
| Charter Schools | 7.1% | 7.1% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | NY | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $13,869/yr | $13,869/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $12,979/yr | $12,979/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $11,679/yr | $11,679/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | NY | NY |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 688 | 688 |
| Water Systems | 2,201 | 2,201 |
| Superfund Sites | 122 | 122 |
| Water Violations | 5,270 | 5,270 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Binghamton | Syracuse |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 35.9 | 36.0 |
| Good Air Days | 83.9% | 86.9% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | N/A | 0 days |
Binghamton air quality shown at state level. Syracuse has metro-level data.
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | NY | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 7/100 | 7/100 |
| Total Violations | 552,003 | 552,003 |
| Health-Based Violations | 26,817 | 26,817 |
| Systems with Violations | 94.4% | 94.4% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | NY | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 0/100 | 0/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 546 | 546 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | NY | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 37/100 | 37/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 69.4 | 69.4 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 70.4 | 70.4 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Binghamton more expensive than Syracuse? ▼
Binghamton has a cost of living index of 92.9 compared to Syracuse's 95.7 (national average = 100). Syracuse is 2.9 points above Binghamton on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Binghamton and Syracuse? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,103/mo in Binghamton vs $1,392/mo in Syracuse, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $783/mo to $995/mo.
How do salaries compare between Binghamton and Syracuse? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $70,400 in Binghamton and $71,924 in Syracuse, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Binghamton has the same purchasing power as $103,100 in Syracuse.
Is Binghamton or Syracuse safer? ▼
At the state level, NY has a violent crime rate of 380.0 per 100,000 residents compared to NY's 380.0 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 1661.2 vs 1661.2 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Binghamton and Syracuse? ▼
NY has 4,812 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 11.8:1, while NY has 4,812 schools at 11.8:1. Charter schools make up 7.1% of NY schools vs 7.1% in NY. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
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Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial