2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Salem, MA vs Rochester, NY

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Rochester or is it cheaper to live in Salem?
- Rochester is 32.6% less expensive than Salem.

Which city has more affordable housing, Rochester or Salem?
- Rochester housing costs are 74.0% less expensive than Salem housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Salem or is Health Care more affordable in Rochester.
- Health related expenses are 21.1% more in Rochester.
 Salem, MARochester, NYUnited States
 Overall  Unlock88.6100
 Food & Groceries108.0  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock107.3100
 Housing172.5  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$130,900$338,100
 Utilities106  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock90.6100
 Miscellaneous144.5  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Salem    4 Reviews

I've been in Salem, Massachusetts for a year now because it brought me up here for my husband's job. Salem may be a great place to visit during Halloween but other  More

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Over 12 years ago

My husband and I move to Salem, MA from Long Island NY five years ago and we love it! We kept on visiting for Halloween and we just decided to move here for the hell of  More

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Over 18 years ago

We are family friendly, albeit strange. We celebrate Halloween for a month. Check out the Haunted Happenings  More

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Reviews for Rochester    79 Reviews

Stay out of the rougher patches, and you'll find a pretty solid city. I live within close proximity to it, and the crime from it DOES rub off on us (auto theft), but  More

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Rochester isn't perfect (I'll detail pros and cons), but it's certainly perfect for me and my husband. We've lived here for 4 years and are getting ready to purchase our  More

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Rochester is a scenic city with so much to offer in terms of things to do and having 4 seasons, except the summer is more like a long spring!! It's a relatively unknown  More

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