← Best places to live

Best Places to Live in New York (2026)

22 best-measured cities in New York, ranked on 29 livability metrics — cost, safety, healthcare, transport, and more. Institutional data, not crowdsourced.

As of the 2026-10-25 snapshot, New York City is the highest-scoring well-measured city in New York at 78/100. Updated 2026-10-25.

Highest overall livability

  1. New York CityA78
  2. RochesterB71
  3. SyracuseB71
  4. BuffaloB71
  5. AlbanyB71
  6. YonkersB70
  7. AmherstC70
  8. Washington HeightsC69
  9. AstoriaC69
  10. JamaicaC69
  11. GravesendC69
  12. Borough ParkC69

Most affordable

  1. AlbanyB59
  2. BushwickC59
  3. CoronaC59
  4. ElmhurstC59
  5. GravesendC59
  6. HarlemC59
  7. Sheepshead BayC59
  8. East HarlemC59

Safest

  1. YonkersB80
  2. AlbanyB75
  3. RochesterB75
  4. BuffaloB74
  5. SyracuseB73
  6. AstoriaC68
  7. Borough ParkC68
  8. BushwickC68