Last updated 2026-06-15 ยท MovePlan Editorial Team
Below the national average, an affordable snowbelt city with strong universities.
Cost of living index (US avg = 100): 91
Median 2BR rent: $1,300/mo
Housing: 84 vs 100
Groceries: 96 vs 100
Utilities: 106 vs 100
Transportation: 95 vs 100
Healthcare: 96 vs 100
Rochester offers low costs, strong universities, and a decent food scene, balanced against heavy lake-effect winters. Affordable housing is the headline, with snow the main seasonal trade-off.