How can you walk through any portion of the Pacific Northwest and not fall in love with its natural beauty? Oregon is the perfect place for nature enthusiasts to really get out there, and the state has it all. Volcanoes, deserts and the deepest lake in America are all within the state’s borders, but when you’re not venturing into the great wide open, what’s it like living in Oregon?
Whether in a city or a more rural location, the average cost of living in Oregon tends to sit on the higher side. All that beauty has a price apparently, and to make sure it fits into your budget, you’ll need to crunch some numbers.
Taking a look into the key areas that make up a typical cost of living can really help you gain perspective on whether or not Oregon is the right fit, financially, for you.
Oregon housing prices
While there are plenty of perfect places to live in Oregon, the overall cost of living in Oregon for housing in most of the cities is well above the national average. Housing is in high demand, especially in urban centers where you get the ability to enjoy Oregon’s natural beauty alongside all those city amenities.
Eugene
With a great cultural scene and a prime location, Eugene is where it’s at. A prime locale for college students, thanks to the University of Oregon, and nature-lovers, thanks to the Willamette River, the city is a perfect mix of activity and nature. You’re also not far from some pretty outstanding wineries. All of these pros to living in Eugene add up, though, and housing costs are 43.6 percent above the national average.
Apartment rents are on the rise as well, although two-bed units are skyrocketing compared with one-bedroom apartments. The average monthly rent for two-bedrooms is up by 83 percent over last year to $1,935. One-bedrooms are up a healthy 42 percent over last year, coming in at an average monthly cost of $1,815.
Home prices are also increasing over last year, but neither as fast or as slow as apartment rents. The median sale price for homes in Eugene is up by 11.3 percent to $480,000.
Portland
A craft-beer-lovers mecca, Portland gives off some great vibes. There’s plenty of arts, culture and nature, not to mention an amazing food scene and incomparable coffee. Plenty of job opportunities are like icing on the cake to this amazing city, but living here will cost you. Housing prices are 56.8 percent above the national average, a pretty significant increase over what you may find in other parts of the country.
Thankfully, rent prices, on average, aren’t too high and are rising slowly. One-bedroom apartments have an average monthly rent of $1,650, up only 6 percent over last year. Two-bedrooms are rising in price a little faster, up 17 percent over last year with an average monthly rent of $1,902.
The big cost hits when you want to buy a home in Portland. Prices are only up by 9.6 percent, but the median home price in Portland is $599,250.
Oregon food prices
From craft beer to Dungeness crab, there are a lot of signature foods in Oregon worth spending your grocery money on. The state produces 95 percent of the country’s hazelnuts and is one of the only producers of marionberries, which make a great fruit pie. With all these delicious items, the average Oregonian spends between $267 and $300 per month on groceries.
This average grocery tab and general food prices mean most cities in Oregon exceed the national average in costs.
- Eugene is 9.2 percent above the national average
- Portland is 9.4 percent above the national average
With Eugene and Portland within a very close range of each other, most grocery items have pretty close prices. For example, coffee in Eugene is almost $6.00. In Portland, it’s $6.16. If you’re buying sugar for a marionberry pie, it will cost you $3.80 in Eugene and $3.37 in Portland.
Costs between these two cities are also pretty close when you look at food prices when you’re going out. A three-course meal for two is only one dollar more in Portland than in Eugene. That makes it really easy to budget for an Oregon date night. In Eugene, the meal will cost $70 on average, in Portland, $71.
Oregon utility prices
Energy use in Oregon is less than in almost three-quarters of all the states in the U.S. This doesn’t mean that utility prices always sit below the national average, but it does mean your electric bill isn’t your highest one.
- Portland is 7 percent below the national average
- Eugene is 21.1 percent above the national average
A lesser need for electricity is thanks to the mild climate zones lying across Oregon. There aren’t many days here where you need to crank up the heat or the AC. Most energy used in Oregon though comes from hydroelectric power.
Oregon transportation prices
Transportation prices aside, Oregon is all about giving it up to the bike riders. Portland is the second most bike-friendly city in the country, and Eugene is fourth. There are more than 350 miles of bike lanes throughout the state, however, this isn’t the only way to get around town, and the cost of living in Oregon for transportation is more than you might think.
- Portland is 20.9 percent above the national average
- Eugene is 48.2 percent above the national average
This includes the combined cost of public transportation, owning a car, paying for car insurance, buying gas and general vehicle maintenance. It all adds up, so make sure you work this into your budget.
TriMet in Portland
Operating buses, light rail trains and a commuter rail, TriMet has a long list of routes to move you easily around Portland. With more than 84 bus lines, five light rail lines and a commuter rail line with five key stops, we’re not kidding when we say public transportation connects Portland.
A single adult fare is $2.50, but it’s good for 2.5 hours after you first use the pass. A single-day pass is $5, and a monthly pass, only good within that specific calendar month, costs $100.
Lane Transit District in Eugene
Servicing seven additional areas beyond Eugene, the Lane Transit District is a very thorough public transportation system. Buses take you where you want to go along 27 different routes.
A variety of passes are available, from a single-ride fare all the way up to a three-month pass. It’s $1.75 for a single ride, $3.50 for a day pass, $50 for a monthly pass and $135 for a three-month pass.
Oregon healthcare prices
Healthcare prices in our two Oregon cities are almost tied once again, both being only a tiny bit above the national average.
- Eugene is 2.2 percent above the national average
- Portland is 3.5 percent above the national average
This means you’ll most likely see only slight differences when comparing medical and prescription costs across the state. For example, the average doctor’s visit in Eugene is $105, but that same visit is 22 percent more in Portland with a price tag of $134.34.
Oregon goods and services prices
Calculating how much you want to spend on the cost of living in Oregon for goods and services means looking at all the things you find yourself wanting to do, but don’t have to. Goods and services are those bonus items, beyond food and shelter, you indulge in every month.
In Oregon, these types of budget items are going to cost you more than average.
- Eugene is 6.7 percent above the national average
- Portland is 15 percent above the national average
You can see how these differentials play out when looking at specific item costs. A six-pack of beer, for example, in Eugene is nine cents cheaper than in Portland. A burger is 30 cents less expensive in Eugene. If you want to get a newspaper subscription, you have to pay 26 cents more in Portland.
Another service that can take a chunk out of your budget is childcare. Once you need it, costs add up. Unlike the other goods and services here, you’ll see a glaring difference in costs between Eugene and Portland when it comes to the monthly costs of paying for a full-day, private preschool. In Eugene, it’ll cost you $716.67. In Portland, the same service costs $1,400.
Taxes in Oregon
There’s no sales tax in Oregon (yay,) but income taxes here are higher than the national average. It’s a graduated rate ranging from 4.75 percent to 9.90 percent, so the more you make, the more you pay.
Although getting taxed like this on your income isn’t fun for anyone, there’s no markup to cover the cost of sales tax when you’re out shopping. What you pay goes totally to the shop, and prices are most likely a little lower.
How much do I need to earn to live in Oregon?
When calculating how much money you need to live somewhere, start with rent. It’s your biggest monthly expense and shouldn’t exceed 30 percent of our income. With that in mind, the minimum salary you need to make in Oregon is $80,000. This will get you an apartment for $2,000 per month, the average rent in the state.
This is all good to know since the average Oregon salary is $92,300. These numbers tell us that you’ll most likely be able to afford a place a little above average but to get the numbers exact, make sure to use our rent calculator.
Living in Oregon
Oregon is an easy-going and hospitable state full of laid-back and friendly people. It has a very specific vibe, and if it’s what you’re looking for, it’s time to consider making the move. To start, though, you’ll need to make sure the cost of living in Oregon fits into your budget. It’s not a cheap place, so look at how the cost of living compares in different cities to help you target exactly where you should move to.
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The Cost of Living Index comes from coli.org.
The rent information included in this summary is based on a calculation of multifamily rental property inventory on Rent. as of June 2022.
Rent prices are for illustrative purposes only. This information does not constitute a pricing guarantee or financial advice related to the rental market.
Source: rent.com