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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The remote work era changed the math: earn a tech salary, live in an affordable market. We analyzed 5 cities across Oregon for that equation. Portland — cost index 111, utilities 102, rent $1,710/mo — leads.
#1 Ranked: Portland — cost index 111, rent $1,710/mo, income $88,792
Portland: high income, low cost — a rare combo
Remote-worker scoring: cost index 111, utilities index 102, income $88,792 — maximizing geographic arbitrage
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
The remote work era changed the math: earn a tech salary, live in an affordable market. We analyzed 5 cities across Oregon for that equation. Portland — cost index 111, utilities 102, rent $1,710/mo — leads.
Dive into Portland's numbers: cost index 111 (1 points below national average), rent $1,710/month, income $88,792, and a home price of $524,251. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 102, while Housing runs 128. As a major city with 630,498 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
630,498 residents · Oregon
A closer look at Portland: the cost index of 111 breaks down to a Utilities index of 102 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 128 (weakest). Median rent is $1,710/month — 10% below the national median — while household income sits at $88,792, meaning locals spend about 23% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
177,432 residents · Oregon
The #2 spot goes to Salem, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,600/month — we had to double-check this one — — saving renters $3,540 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 97, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 113. A 27% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
110,685 residents · Oregon
A closer look at Gresham: the cost index of 107 breaks down to a Utilities index of 98 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 117 (weakest). Median rent is $1,594/month — 16% below the national median — while household income sits at $73,608, meaning locals spend about 26% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
107,730 residents · Oregon
Why Hillsboro ranks #4: the numbers tell a clear story. At 114 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 2% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,869/month while the median household pulls in $103,207/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 104, though Housing (134) lags behind. Home prices average $516,726 — $49,356 above the national median.
177,899 residents · Oregon
At $1,988/month for rent and a cost index of 113, Eugene is pretty much what you'd expect from a mid-size city in this part of the country. Income is $63,836. That's about what we'd expect given the state context.
Portland ranks #1 in Oregon for this analysis with a cost index of 111 and median income of $88,792.
Portland scores highest for remote workers due to its strong income potential, median rent of $1,710/mo, and above-average median income of $88,792.
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.
Portland (ranked #1) has a cost index of 111 and rent of $1,710/mo, while Eugene (ranked #5) has a cost index of 113 and rent of $1,988/mo — a 2-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 Portland is $1,710/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $185 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Portland is $524,251, which is 5.9× 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.