NYC VISUALIZED

Mamdani won the November 2025 general election and is now Mayor. This page is a record of what New Yorkers were choosing between — his platform versus Andrew Cuomo's.

Mamdani vs. Cuomo, for your household.

Two very different platforms reached every household differently. Tell us about yours and see how they compare.

An independent civic project. Not affiliated with the Mayor's Office, the Cuomo campaign, or any party.

The two pitches at a glance

Each candidate's signature affordability levers — what they put in front of voters.

2025 platform
Zohran Mamdani
Universal benefits, paid for by taxing the top.
  • 0%Rent freeze on stabilized units
  • $0Childcare, age 0–5
  • $0Bus fares, citywide
  • $30Minimum wage by 2030
  • 200KNew affordable units in 10 years
2025 platform
Andrew Cuomo
Targeted relief, supply-side housing, more cops.
  • $758Annual tax cut, family of 4 ≤200% FPL
  • $0NYC tax on tipped wages
  • 3-KUniversal seat for every 3-year-old
  • 50%Off transit fares (Fair Fares expansion)
  • 500KNew + preserved homes in 10 years
  • +5,000NYPD officers

How each plan reaches you

A one-minute profile, then a side-by-side look at how Zohran Mamdani's platform compares with Andrew Cuomo's — the two finalists in the 2025 mayoral race — for your specific household.

Annual under Mamdani
$25,000/yr
$100,000 over the 4-year term · 1 policy apply · higher of the two.
Annual under Cuomo
$0/yr
$0 over the 4-year term · 1 policy apply.
Policy area
Zohran Mamdani
Andrew Cuomo
Rent & housing costs
Freeze the rent
—
Doesn't apply — RGB only sets rents on stabilized units.
Source
Build 500K homes (supply-side)
—
Opposed the rent freeze. Plan is supply-side: 500,000 homes over a decade and 80,000 stalled units accelerated in the first 100 days. No direct $/yr for current renters.
Source
Childcare (0–5)
Free childcare 0–5
$25,000
/yr
1 kid 0–5 × ~$25,000/yr (NYC center average).
Source
Subsidy eligibility expansion
savings vary
Expanded eligibility for the existing childcare subsidy (raise income ceiling, drop wage floor). Means-tested — savings depend on your income and provider; not free, not universal.
Source
Pre-K / 3-K
Universal Pre-K & 3-K
—
No school-age kids in your household.
Source
Universal 3-K guarantee
—
No school-age kids in your household.
Source
Transit fares
Fare-free buses citywide
—
Doesn't apply — your commute isn't bus-based.
Source
Fair Fares + bus pilot
—
Above the Fair Fares income threshold. Cuomo's free-bus plan is a pilot only — no specific routes named.
Source
Minimum wage
$30/hr minimum wage by 2030
—
Set your hourly wage to model this.
Source
Did not propose
—
Cuomo's platform did not include a NYC-specific minimum wage hike. NYS minimum stays on its existing path ($17/hr in NYC as of 2026).
Source
Low-income tax relief
Did not propose
—
Mamdani's platform raised taxes on top earners; no broad cut for low-income filers.
Eliminate NYC income tax (≤200% FPL)
—
Set household income to model this.
Source
Tipped-wage tax
Did not propose
—
Not in Mamdani's platform.
No NYC tax on tips
—
You're not a tipped worker.
Source
Property tax (owners)
Did not propose
—
Not in Mamdani's platform.
2% property tax cap (1–3 family)
—
Doesn't apply — you rent.
Source
Mamdani · year by year
Year 1
$25,000
Year 2
$25,000
Year 3
$25,000
Year 4
$25,000
Cumulative$100,000
Cuomo · year by year
Year 1
$0
Year 2
$0
Year 3
$0
Year 4
$0
Cumulative$0
Top under Mamdani
1
No cost childcare.
1 kid 0–5 × ~$25,000/yr (NYC center average).
$25,000
/yr
“It’s literally driving them out of the city: New Yorkers with children under six are leaving at double the rate of all others.”
Top under Cuomo
1
Expand childcare subsidies
Expanded eligibility for the existing childcare subsidy (raise income ceiling, drop wage floor). Means-tested — savings depend on your income and provider; not free, not universal.
varies
“Cuomo's plan expands eligibility for the city's existing childcare subsidy program: removing the wage floor that excludes some low-income workers, raising the income ceiling, and separating work hours from authorized care hours so part-time workers can access full-day care.”
Platform pledges, not enacted policy. Both columns model what each candidate proposed in 2025. Mamdani won and is now Mayor — his column reflects the platform he ran on, which still depends on Albany action (childcare, wage, tax measures), Rent Guidelines Board votes (rent freeze), and MTA cooperation (free buses) to fully implement. Cuomo's column models what his platform would have delivered for your household; it is not enacted. Some Cuomo items (subsidy expansion, no-tax-on-tips, property tax cap, free-bus pilot) don't have published per-household figures and are flagged "savings vary."

How the two plans land across the community

Five household profiles, modeled under both platforms. Term totals are 4-year sums of all applicable, modeled policies — qualitative items (tip income, property tax appreciation) aren't counted here.

Elderly renter, fixed income
Lower East Side · 1 adult 65+ · stabilized · $1,700/mo · Social Security
Mamdani$12,106
Cuomo$2,900
over 4 years
Minimum-wage worker, no kids
Bushwick · 1 adult · market-rate · $1,900/mo · $17/hr retail
Mamdani$56,875
Cuomo$2,900
over 4 years
Single parent, food service
South Bronx · 1 adult · 1 kid 0–5 + 1 school-age · stabilized · $1,300/mo · $18/hr tips
Mamdani$208,498
Cuomo$53,108
over 4 years
Family of four, mixed earners
Flatbush · 2 adults · 1 kid 0–5 + 1 school-age · market-rate · $1,600/mo · $24 + $21/hr
Mamdani$196,400
Cuomo$48,000
over 4 years
Inherited family home, working parents
Ridgewood, Queens · 2 adults · 2 school-age kids · inherited 1–3 family ($1M, paid off) · $58K · subway
Mamdani$96,000
Cuomo$106,263
over 4 years

Read both platforms in their own words

The numbers above are modeled. The links below are what each campaign actually published.

Mamdani · platform

Zohran for NYC platform

The full set of policy positions Mamdani ran on in 2025, in his own words.

Cuomo · issues

Cuomo: On the Issues

The umbrella issues page from the Cuomo for Mayor campaign.

Cuomo · affordability

The Crisis of Affordability in New York City

Cuomo's published affordability plan — source of the tax-cut, childcare, and Fair Fares figures above.

Cuomo · housing

Addressing New York's Housing Crisis

Cuomo's published housing plan — the 500K-home, NYCHA, and rent-position references.

Election · result

2025 NYC mayoral election

Wikipedia's record of the race, candidates, results, and timelines.

Council

Contact your member

The 51-member Council holds budget and approval power over many platform initiatives, regardless of who's in City Hall.