City profile
Portland, OR cost of living
OR · BEA RPP 105.421
2024 overall RPP
105.421
US = 100
2024 housing-rent RPP
125.114
Housing component
2024 goods RPP
105.222
Goods component
2-BR FMR (HUD)
$1,878/mo
FY2027 FMR
Where Portland, OR sits in the verified metro set
RPP rank
#16 of 67
+5.4 vs U.S. average
Vs median metro
+5.9
median RPP 99.5
2-BR rent rank
#22 of 67
+189/mo vs median verified metro
RPP ranks use only verified ReloMath metro records. Sources: BEA MARPP 2024 (all items, housing, goods, other services); HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent; reviewed 2026-10-04. These are historical area benchmarks, not current neighborhood prices. HUD FMR is a 40th-percentile gross-rent benchmark, not median rent. BEA metro and HUD rent-area boundaries can differ. BEA: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) (code 38900). HUD: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA MSA (code METRO38900M38900); counties or county equivalents: Clackamas County, Clark County, Columbia County, Multnomah County, Skamania County, Washington County, Yamhill County. The official files were retrieved 2026-10-04.
Who’s moving in and out of Portland, OR
IRS tax-return migration · 2022-2023Cost of living is only half the relocation question. The other half is which way people are actually voting with their feet, straight from IRS tax-return migration for the Portland, OR metro.
Moved in
50,455
people · 34,416 households
Moved out
52,242
people · 33,564 households
Net
−1,787
net loss of residents
Net migration rank
#40 of 65
among IRS-covered ReloMath metros
Vs median net flow
-2,158
median +371 people
Largest flow share
7% in / 8% out
top named county shares
Where new residents came from
- Marion County, OR 3,661
- Los Angeles County, CA 2,890
- King County, WA 2,675
- Maricopa County, AZ 1,971
- Lane County, OR 1,943
Where residents moved to
- Marion County, OR 3,991
- King County, WA 3,060
- Maricopa County, AZ 2,761
- Cowlitz County, WA 2,624
- Deschutes County, OR 2,287
Counts are IRS tax filers (returns ≈ households, individuals ≈ exemptions) who changed address between 2022-2023. Flows too small for IRS to disclose are grouped and excluded from the named lists. Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration data ↗, mapped to metros via the U.S. Census CBSA delineation.
What salary do you need in Portland, OR?
Historical BEA 2024 salary illustration relative to the U.S. average (RPP 100), before tax and household adjustments. Housing is already included in overall RPP.
| In US-average city | You need in Portland, OR | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $52,711 | $50,000 x (105.421/100) |
| $75,000 | $79,066 | $75,000 x (105.421/100) |
| $100,000 | $105,421 | $100,000 x (105.421/100) |
| $125,000 | $131,776 | $125,000 x (105.421/100) |
| $150,000 | $158,132 | $150,000 x (105.421/100) |
| $200,000 | $210,842 | $200,000 x (105.421/100) |
Salary illustrations use BEA 2024 overall Regional Price Parities (RPP) only, before tax and household-specific adjustments. Overall RPP already includes housing. HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent is a separate historical gross-rent benchmark, not a current lease or median rent. Do not add rent to the RPP salary figure. Your lease and moving quote belong in a separate budget. Not financial advice.
Step 2: what will the move itself cost?
The historical salary illustration is separate from moving payments. Use an actual mover quote and lease terms in your budget summary.
State income tax note
Income tax and payroll deductions are not calculated. Obtain take-home estimates for your actual work and home addresses.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cost of living in Portland, OR?
- In the historical BEA 2024 benchmark, Portland, OR has an overall Regional Price Parity of 105.421 (US average = 100). Its overall price level is 5.4% higher than the national average for that year.
- What salary do I need to live in Portland, OR?
- If you earn $100,000 in a US-average city (RPP 100), the BEA 2024 RPP illustration is approximately $105,421 in Portland, OR, before tax and household adjustments.
- What historical rent benchmark is shown for Portland, OR?
- The historical HUD Fair Market Rent benchmark for a 2-bedroom associated with Portland, OR is $1,878 per month as of FY2027.
- Are people moving to or away from Portland, OR?
- Based on IRS tax-return migration data for 2022-2023, about 50,455 people moved into the Portland, OR metro and 52,242 moved out — a net loss of roughly 1,787 residents. The largest single source of new residents was Marion County, OR.
Curated nearby & similar cities
Similar verified metros by RPP
These links are chosen by data proximity: closest overall RPP to Portland, OR, with HUD 2-BR rent as a tie-breaker.
Curated cost-of-living comparisons for Portland, OR
Side-by-side cost of living and the equivalent salary you'd need — pick a destination.
Check published data changes
Review dated source notices for tracked metros alongside Portland, OR's historical benchmarks. Change-log entries do not automatically refresh the BEA 2024 or HUD FY2027 values shown here.
View cost-of-living change log