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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 2026-09-09 snapshot, New York City is the highest-scoring well-measured city in New York at 78/100. Updated 2026-09-09.

Highest overall livability

  1. New York CityA78
  2. RochesterB71
  3. BuffaloB70
  4. SyracuseB70
  5. AlbanyB70
  6. YonkersB69
  7. AmherstC69
  8. AstoriaC68
  9. Borough ParkC68
  10. JamaicaC68
  11. GravesendC68
  12. Washington HeightsC68

Most affordable

  1. GravesendC59
  2. Sheepshead BayC59
  3. AlbanyB59
  4. AmherstC59
  5. BushwickC59
  6. CoronaC59
  7. ElmhurstC59
  8. HarlemC59

Safest

  1. YonkersB80
  2. RochesterB75
  3. AlbanyB75
  4. BuffaloB74
  5. SyracuseB73
  6. AstoriaC68
  7. Borough ParkC68
  8. GravesendC68