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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
This is one of the closest races in our database: the top 5 cities are separated by just 6 points on the cost index. Gresham, Salem, Portland, Hillsboro, Eugene are all within striking distance. At this margin, secondary factors — taxes, rent trends, category-specific costs — become the tiebreakers.…
#1 Ranked: Gresham — cost index 107, rent $1,594/mo, income $73,608
Top 5 separated by only 6 points
3 of 5 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
This is one of the closest races in our database: the top 5 cities are separated by just 6 points on the cost index. Gresham, Salem, Portland, Hillsboro, Eugene are all within striking distance. At this margin, secondary factors — taxes, rent trends, category-specific costs — become the tiebreakers. Here's the full breakdown.
Here's Gresham by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 107. Rent: $1,594/month. Income: $73,608/year. Home price: $463,410. Population: 110,685. The strongest category is Utilities at 98; the most expensive is Housing at 117. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $3,612 per year vs. the national median. That's a spread that makes moving costs look trivial.
Pair that with the housing data, and the pattern sharpens. Across Oregon, the average cost of living index is 110 — 2 points below the national median. Known for Portland premium contrasting with inland bargains, the state offers 5 tracked cities with median rents averaging $1,752/month — we had to double-check this one — . That's $143 less than the national average of $1,895. That level of affordability is getting rarer every year.
Bottom line: Gresham leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
110,685 residents · Oregon
Dive into Gresham's numbers: cost index 107 — and yes, that's adjusted for the region — (5 points below national average), rent $1,594/month, income $73,608, and a home price of $463,410. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 98, while Housing runs 117. With 110,685 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
177,432 residents · Oregon
Salem earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 105 cost index sits 7 points below the national baseline, and the $71,900 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $432,341 — $35,029 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Utilities leads the way at 97, while Housing trails at 113.
630,498 residents · Oregon
Here's Portland by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 111. Rent: $1,710/month. Income: $88,792/year. Home price: $524,251. Population: 630,498. The strongest category is Utilities at 102; the most expensive is Housing at 128. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,220 per year vs. the national median. This stands out as genuinely impressive.
107,730 residents · Oregon
Here's Hillsboro by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 114. Rent: $1,869/month. Income: $103,207/year. Home price: $516,726. Population: 107,730. The strongest category is Utilities at 104; the most expensive is Housing at 134. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $312 per year vs. the national median. This is quietly one of the better values out there.
177,899 residents · Oregon
A closer look at Eugene: the cost index of 113 breaks down to a Utilities index of 104 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 133 (weakest). Median rent is $1,988/month — 5% above the national median — while household income sits at $63,836, meaning locals spend about 37% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median.
Gresham ranks #1 in Oregon for this analysis with a cost index of 107 and median income of $73,608.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Gresham (ranked #1) has a cost index of 107 and rent of $1,594/mo, while Eugene (ranked #5) has a cost index of 113 and rent of $1,988/mo — a 6-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Gresham is $1,594/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $301 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Gresham is $463,410, which is 6.3× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
Oregon has a 9.9% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 0%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.87%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.