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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Top 5 separated by only 1 points. The race is tight: Hillsboro, Portland, Salem, Gresham, Eugene are all within 1 points of each other. At this level, differences in rent, taxes, or a single category can sway the decision.
107,730 residents · Oregon
Dive into Hillsboro's numbers: cost index 114 (2 points above national average), rent $1,869/month, income $103,207, and a home price of $516,726. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 104, while Housing runs 134. With 107,730 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
630,498 residents · Oregon
The way we see it, Portland earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 111 cost index sits 1 points below the national baseline, and the $88,792 median income means purchasing power here is genuinely above average. Homes list at $524,251 — $56,881 above the national median, reflecting the metro premium. On the cost side, Utilities leads the way at 102, while Housing trails at 128.
177,432 residents · Oregon
What does daily life actually cost in Salem? Start with the 27% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Utilities (index 97) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 113) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $71,900 and homes at $432,341 round out a profile that ranks #3 for clear reasons (that's pre-tax, of course).
110,685 residents · Oregon
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 — for better or worse — . 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. This is where the math gets real for actual people.
177,899 residents · Oregon
What does daily life actually cost in Eugene? Start with the 37% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. That's a reasonable number. On the category level, Utilities (index 104) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 133) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $63,836 and homes at $467,032 round out a profile that ranks #5 for clear reasons.
#1 Ranked: Hillsboro — cost index 114, rent $1,869/mo, income $103,207
Top 5 separated by only 1 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
Top 5 separated by only 1 points. The race is tight: Hillsboro, Portland, Salem, Gresham, Eugene are all within 1 points of each other. At this level, differences in rent, taxes, or a single category can sway the decision.
This is one of the closest races in our database: the top 5 cities are separated by just 1 points on the cost index. Hillsboro, Portland, Salem, Gresham, 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.
What does daily life actually cost in Hillsboro? Start with the 22% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Utilities (index 104) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 134) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $103,207 and homes at $516,726 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
Before celebrating, check the next metric: 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. That's $143 less than the national average of $1,895. This is an advantage that compounds over time.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. And depending on your situation, 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 (we double-checked this one).
Hillsboro ranks #1 in Oregon for this analysis with a cost index of 114 and median income of $103,207.
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.
Hillsboro (ranked #1) has a cost index of 114 and rent of $1,869/mo, while Eugene (ranked #5) has a cost index of 113 and rent of $1,988/mo — a 1-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 Hillsboro is $1,869/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $26 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Hillsboro is $516,726, which is 5.0× 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.