Accountants & Auditors salary in Buffalo, NY
Median pay for accountants & auditors in Buffalo, NY: $78,670/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $50,590 – $133,370 · about 5,240 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($74,290) by +$4,380 (+6%).
What it's really worth in Buffalo
With Buffalo's cost of living at 95 (US=100), that $78,670 has the buying power of about $82,879 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $67,638 · median home $288,316 · median rent $1,444/mo.
How Buffalo ranks for this job
On raw pay, Buffalo, NY is 47th of the 187 metros we hold accountants & auditors wages for. Once Buffalo's cost of living is applied, it ranks 27th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Buffalo is one of the places where accountants & auditors gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Buffalo
A median home in Buffalo, NY costs $288,316 — about 3.7× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,444/mo works out at 22% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where accountants & auditors earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Buffalo.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Buffalo | Rent vs Buffalo |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $113,980 | +45% | 2.5× |
| San Francisco, CA | $103,990 | +32% | 2.3× |
| New York, NY | $103,900 | +32% | 2.4× |
| Washington, DC | $97,320 | +24% | 1.7× |
Same job elsewhere in NY
| Metro | Median pay | vs Buffalo | Rent vs Buffalo |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $103,900 | +32% | 2.4× |
| Albany, NY | $81,760 | +4% | 1.2× |
| Rochester, NY | $79,080 | +1% | 1.1× |
| Syracuse, NY | $78,150 | −1% | 1.1× |
Staying in NY keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires accountants & auditors around Buffalo
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Moog Inc. · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Buffalo
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.