2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Santa Cruz, CA vs Rochester, NY

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Rochester or is it cheaper to live in Santa Cruz?
- Rochester is 52.4% less expensive than Santa Cruz.

Which city has more affordable housing, Rochester or Santa Cruz?
- Rochester housing costs are 89.4% less expensive than Santa Cruz housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Santa Cruz or is Health Care more affordable in Rochester.
- Health related expenses are 1.7% less in Rochester.
 Santa Cruz, CARochester, NYUnited States
 Overall  Unlock88.6100
 Food & Groceries111.5  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock107.3100
 Housing420.7  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$130,900$338,100
 Utilities94  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock90.6100
 Miscellaneous155.7  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Santa Cruz    44 Reviews

I lived in the Santa Cruz area for 20 years. UCSC alum. Our kids were born there. There are wonderful things about Santa Cruz, but also many serious problems that we  More

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Over 5 years ago

I have been here for four generations! My kids are the fifth. I guess that should tell you how wonderful it is here, at least for us. It's so cool to have world class  More

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I was born over the hill in San Jose area, and as a kid I loved coming over to the boardwalk. Santa Cruz has always been and always will be a town of diversity,  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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