Living in Ithaca, NY
College town in New York
Ithaca is a college town in New York, home to about 32,000 people, with 177,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, you can walk or take transit almost everywhere. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Ithaca a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Mild summers: highs around 78°F
- Great outdoors: coast or a lake close by
- Safe: violent crime is 0.3× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Dog-friendly: 6 dog parks within 9 mi
👎 Cons
- Cloudier than most places
- Higher taxes: about $3,080 state income tax per resident, 2.63% property tax
- Smaller job market: about 177,000 people live within 31 mi
- Few top-rated hospitals: no 4–5★ hospital within 31 mi
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Ithaca ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Ithaca: common questions
What is the cost of living in Ithaca?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $377k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,100 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 103, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Ithaca?
New York collects about $3,080 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 2.63% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Ithaca safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.3× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Ithaca?
Ithaca has long, snowy winters: winter days average around 33°F and summer days around 78°F, with roughly 63″ of snow a year.
Does Ithaca get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding: 6 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.21 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Ithaca?
The nearest major airport is SYR, about 50 mi away.
How Ithaca scores
Each bar compares Ithaca with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Is Ithaca right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.