Governor Kathy Hochul's Lavish Lifestyle Is A Bit Out Of Touch

Originally Andrew Cuomo's replacement, Governor Kathy Hochul has made it obvious just how far removed she is from the common New Yorker's lifestyle. After the politician's April 2025 tax information was revealed, her incredibly high household income showed that Hochul and her husband had made over 10 times the average household income in New York. The governor's income alone is twice that of the average salary in her state, earning about $260,000 in 2024. That income was just a drop in the bucket for Hochul, who, with her husband's salary and their combined investments, made $1.5 million in 2024. Yes, upon closer investigation, not only was Hochul living a really lavish life, but her spouse was too. 

The Hochuls' mind-boggling annual sum had jaws dropping, but it wasn't even the most that the governor had earned in a year. In fact, for the tax year of 2023-2024, the governor and her husband made almost $2 million, though Hochul's husband was again responsible for the majority of their combined funds.

So, while she isn't responsible for the majority of her household wealth, Hochul's tax information indicated how unfamiliar Hochul must be with the average New Yorker's expensive experience in the state. This complete separation from their reality could lead to issues with her 2026 gubernatorial campaign, especially because she has been reticent to work with incoming NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani's plan to tax the wealthiest elites in order to make the city more affordable.

Before her residence in New York's Executive Mansion, Kathy Hochul and her family enjoyed a comfy life. Though their waterfront home was bought for only $260,000, the two-floor unit was not the only property in their real estate resume. Hochul and her husband had bought another unit within the condo building, a three-bedroom place with yet another waterfront view. The purchase cost them $400,000, which was about what they sold their original Buffalo condo for after the politician was elected governor. 

With her new job title, the family moved to Albany, where the governor's state-funded mansion is located. However, in a 2024 interview, Hochul let it slip that she actually lived in Manhattan. Considered the most expensive area to live in New York, Manhattan is far from the governor's assumed residence in Albany, but certainly affordable for someone with her enormous income.

Hochul's ridiculous expenditures don't stop there. In addition to her Manhattan apartment and her Buffalo condo, the former congresswoman also owns a vacation home in Virginia, which she bought for over $600,000. This puts her in an awkward position, considering millions of her constituents just voted for Trump enemy Zohran Mamdani and policies that tax the rich. If Hochul wants to maintain her cushy life at the Executive Mansion, she'll need to get more comfortable with higher taxes.