New York’s 15 Best Hidden Gem Housing Markets of 2025

There are housing deals to be found in New York state — especially once you get away from the big city.

Across the state, the average value of a single-family home is $489,352. But that is driven up by homes in New York City, which average nearly $800,000, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. So there are plenty of housing markets in New York state that come in well below the state average.

GOBankingRates has identified these locales and sorted them by livability and other factors to produce a list of the state’s top hidden housing market gems. To compile its list, GBR analyzed data from Zillow, AreaVibes, Sperling’s BestPlaces, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Reserve. Cities were weighted based on how they rank in multiple categories, and an overall score was determined — producing a list of the best blends of affordability and livability.

Here’s a rundown of the top 15.

Also see America’s best hidden gem markets.

• Average home value in city: $290,139
• Amount below average home value in state: $199,213
• Average monthly mortgage: $1,661
• Livability: 79
• Median household income: $57,688

Troy is located just north of Albany in eastern New York state, along the western edge of the Hudson River. The total cost of living here comes in around $3,800 a month.

• Average home value in city: $117,783
• Amount below average home value in state: $371,569
• Average monthly mortgage: $674
• Livability: 71
• Median household income: $48,810

Massena sits in northern New York state, right near the Canadian and roughly 80 miles southwest of Montreal. Massena is the least populous city in the list, with about 10,200 residents. It has the highest percentage of residents age 65 and up (about 21%). The average monthly mortgage here is less than $700.

• Average home value in city: $198,777
• Amount below average home value in state: $290,575
• Average monthly mortgage: $1,138
• Livability: 75
• Median household income: $55,368

You’ll find Cortland in central New York state, about 35 miles south of Syracuse and roughly 20 miles northeast of Ithaca. Cortland’s average monthly cost of living comes in around $3,100.

• Average home value in city: $331,603
• Amount below average home value in state: $157,748
• Average monthly mortgage: $1,898
• Livability: 82
• Median household income: $62,111

Cohoes is located in eastern New York state, just north of Albany. Cohoes has about 18,000 residents. It is tied with two other cities for the second-highest AreaVibes livability score.

• Average home value in city: $129,371
• Amount below average home value in state: $359,981
• Average monthly mortgage: $741
• Livability: 72
• Median household income: $49,003

Dunkirk sits along the southeastern shore of Lake Erie, about 45 miles southwest of Buffalo and just west of Fredonia. Dunkirk is a relatively inexpensive place to live, with average monthly mortgages coming in around $740 and an average monthly cost of living of about $2,600.

• Average home value in city: $213,545
• Amount below average home value in state: $275,806
• Average monthly mortgage: $1,222
• Livability: 77
• Median household income: $45,845

Syracuse sits in central New York state, about 150 miles east of Buffalo and 145 miles west of Albany. With about 146,000 residents, Syracuse is the second most populous city in GBR’s list. Average monthly expenditures here come in around $2,100.

• Average home value in city: $312,583
• Amount below average home value in state: $176,768
• Average monthly mortgage: $1,789
• Livability: 82
• Median household income: $55,897

Watervliet sits on the western bank of the Hudson River, directly across from Troy and just north of Albany. Watervliet’s AreaVibes livability score of 82 ties for second highest in the list. Its average monthly cost of living sits just below $4,000.

• Average home value in city: $245,489
• Amount below average home value in state: $243,863
• Average monthly mortgage: $1,405
• Livability: 79
• Median household income: $48,050

New York’s second-largest city, Buffalo is located in the western part of the state, right on the eastern shore of Lake Erie. The average total cost of living in Buffalo comes in around $3,500 a month.

• Average home value in city: $219,763
• Amount below average home value in state: $269,589
• Average monthly mortgage: $1,258
• Livability: 77
• Median household income: $68,242

Geneva is found in central New York state, about 45 miles southwest of Syracuse and roughly 50 miles southeast of Rochester. It costs about $3,300 a month to live here, on average.

• Average home value in city: $236,658
• Amount below average home value in state: $252,694
• Average monthly mortgage: $1,355
• Livability: 79
• Median household income: $50,193

Amsterdam is located in eastern New York state, about 30 miles northwest of Albany and roughly 20 miles west of Schenectady. Amsterdam has a fairly high population of retirees, with just over 19% of its residents age 65 and up.

• Average home value in city: $181,851
• Amount below average home value in state: $307,500
• Average monthly mortgage: $1,041
• Livability: 77
• Median household income: $44,331

Binghamton is located in the Southern Tier region of New York, near the Pennsylvania border. Its median household income is the lowest among the cities in this list. The average cost of living here pencils out to just over $3,000 a month.

• Average home value in city: $200,717
• Amount below average home value in state: $288,635
• Average monthly mortgage: $1,149
• Livability: 78
• Median household income: $51,513

You’ll find Utica in the central part of the state, about 55 miles east of Syracuse and 95 miles west of Albany. Total monthly living costs in Utica come in around $3,200 on average.

• Average home value in city: $173,405
• Amount below average home value in state: $315,947
• Average monthly mortgage: $993
• Livability: 78
• Median household income: $49,155

You’ll find Gloversville in upstate New York, about 45 miles northwest of Albany and right next to the city of Johnstown. Monthly living expenses here come in just over $3,000 on average. Gloversville is one of three cities in the list with average monthly mortgages less than $1,000.

• Average home value in city: $266,173
• Amount below average home value in state: $223,179
• Average monthly mortgage: $1,524
• Livability: 82
• Median household income: $70,089

Glens Falls is located in upstate New York, about 45 miles north of Albany. The average total cost of living in Glens Falls comes in around $3,700 a month. Its AreaVibes livability score ties for second highest among the cities listed.

• Average home value in city: $275,977
• Amount below average home value in state: $213,374
• Average monthly mortgage: $1,580
• Livability: 86
• Median household income: $66,774

North Tonawanda is in Niagara County in western New York. It lands high on the list with a strong livability score (the highest among cities in the list) and average home values coming in more than $200,000 below state averages. About 19% of North Tonawanda’s 30,000 residents are age 65 and up.

Editor’s note: Photos are for representational purposes only and might not reflect the exact locations listed.

Methodology: To identify the best hidden gem housing markets for 2025, GOBankingRates conducted a comprehensive analysis of cities across the U.S. The selection began with data from the Zillow Home Value Index, focusing on cities where the average single-family home value was at least $50,000 below the statewide average. Cities with a livability score below 70, sourced from AreaVibes, were excluded to ensure a baseline quality of life. Cost-of-living indexes were obtained from Sperling’s BestPlaces and paired with national average expenditure data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey to estimate typical spending in each city. Assuming a 10% down payment and applying the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate from Federal Reserve Economic Data, the average monthly mortgage was calculated for each location. From there, the total necessity cost of living was determined by combining mortgage and expenditure estimates. Each city was then scored and weighted using the following weighted criteria: median household income (1.00), average mortgage cost (1.00), difference from statewide home value (2.00), and livability index (2.00). Final scores were then summed and ranked. The top 15 cities from New York were then separated out. All data is current as of Sept. 2, 2025.