What salary do you need to live in Utica, NY?

The cost side of living in Utica

A one-bedroom in Utica rents for a median of $733 a month, utilities the tenant pays included; a two-bedroom goes for $972 and a three-bedroom for $1,033. Over a full year, the two-bedroom median comes to $11,664.

Homeowners in Utica report a median home value of $172,900. Against a median household income of $69,779, the ratio is 2.5× — one of the gentler home-price-to-income ratios in the country.

The Regional Price Parity, BEA's index of local prices with the US at 100, is 92.7 here. Below 100 means a paycheck stretches further: $100,000 in Utica has the buying power of roughly $107,900 at national average prices.

The salary lines for a two-bedroom in Utica

With a two-bedroom at the median rent, the score enters Tight at $25,000, Okay at $49,000 and Comfortable at $98,000 a year before tax. At the Comfortable line, a year of rent takes 12% of income and the median home is 1.8× income.

Reaching Royal takes $309,000 — 3.2× the Comfortable line — because the last points come slowly once rent is already a small share.

Nothing here is a separate rule of thumb; plug any of these incomes into the calculator with two bedrooms and Utica shows the matching grade.

What different incomes look like in Utica

Choosing a bigger place in Utica at $75,000 trims the score from 62 to 56 without leaving Okay.

Of the four salaries, $100,000 is the first where a two-bedroom reads Comfortable or better; $75,000 still lands at Okay.

Utica on the national list

Ranked against all 387 metros, Utica sits 223rd on overall price level and 318th on the two-bedroom rent median, counting from the most expensive. Its median home value ranks 345th.

Jackson, TN ($972) and Wichita Falls, TX ($972) bracket Utica on two-bedroom rent.

Utica next to New York and similar metros

Compared with New York as a whole, two-bedroom rent in Utica is 40% lower ($972 vs. $1,620) and the median home is 59% lower ($172,900 vs. $423,800).

Run New York's statewide medians through the same score and Comfortable begins at $278,000; Utica's line is −65% from that.

If Utica is on your list, Binghamton, NY, Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, and Elmira, NY are the most similar New York metros by two-bedroom rent and price level; the table shows where each turns Comfortable.

Where the typical Utica household lands

What about a typical local household? Census puts median household income here at $69,779, which grades Okay (55) for a two-bedroom at the median rent. Reaching Comfortable would take $28,221 more than the median household earns. Statewide, the New York median household ($85,974) grades Tight on the state's own medians. A household figure may pool several earners, unlike a single salary.

Treat every number here as a pre-tax, public-data estimate rather than financial advice.