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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The 30% rule — spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing — is the most widely cited benchmark for affordability. And on balance, on a $75K salary, 4 cities (80%) meet this threshold. You've got plenty of choices. We ran the numbers on 5 cities in Oregon using 2026 census, rent, and salary…
#1 Ranked: Gresham — cost index 107, rent $1,594/mo, income $73,608
4 of 5 cities keep rent under 30% of $75K
4 of 5 cities keep rent under 30% of $75K gross income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
The 30% rule — spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing — is the most widely cited benchmark for affordability. And on balance, on a $75K salary, 4 cities (80%) meet this threshold. You've got plenty of choices. We ran the numbers on 5 cities in Oregon using 2026 census, rent, and salary data. Gresham comes out on top — here's the full ranking and analysis.
Dive into Gresham's numbers: cost index 107 (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.
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.
The 30% rule — spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing — is the most widely cited benchmark for affordability. On a $75K salary, 4 cities (80%) meet this threshold. You've got plenty of choices.
The race is tight: Gresham, Salem, Portland, Hillsboro, Eugene are all within 6 points of each other. At this level, differences in rent, taxes, or a single category can sway the decision.
110,685 residents · Oregon
Dive into Gresham's numbers: cost index 107 (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
Here's Salem by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 105. Rent: $1,600/month. Income: $71,900/year. Home price: $432,341. Population: 177,432. The strongest category is Utilities at 97; the most expensive is Housing at 113. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $3,540 per year vs. the national median. On a fixed income, this is the metric that matters most.
630,498 residents · Oregon
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. It's fine. Not great, not bad. 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.
107,730 residents · Oregon
So, Hillsboro. And for the typical household, cost index of 114, rent at $1,869/month. It's higher than the national average. Median income is $103,207, which is above average. Nothing too surprising there.
177,899 residents · Oregon
Look, Why Eugene ranks #5: the numbers tell a clear story. At 113 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 1% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,988/month — we had to double-check this one — while the median household pulls in $63,836/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 104, though Housing (133) lags behind. Home prices average $467,032 — $338 below the national median.
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Gresham | 9.9% | 0% | 0.87% | $50,285 |
2Salem | 9.9% | 0% | 0.87% | $50,285 |
3Portland | 9.9% | 0% | 0.87% | $50,285 |
4Hillsboro | 9.9% | 0% | 0.87% | $50,285 |
5Eugene | 9.9% | 0% | 0.87% | $50,285 |
We calculate what percentage of a $75K gross salary goes to median rent. Cities where rent consumes less of your paycheck rank higher. We also factor in estimated take-home pay after federal taxes, FICA (7.65%), and state income tax. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Gresham ranks #1 in Oregon for this analysis with a cost index of 107 and median income of $73,608.
Yes. On a $75K salary in Gresham, rent would consume about 26% of your gross monthly income. Financial experts recommend keeping rent under 30%. You're well within that guideline.
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.
After federal taxes, FICA (7.65%), and 9.9% state income tax, estimated take-home on $75K in Gresham is approximately $50,285/year ($4,190/month). After median rent of $1,594/month, you'd have roughly $31,157/year for all other expenses.
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.