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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 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.…
#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
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. That's about what we'd expect given the state context. Here's the full breakdown.
So, Hillsboro. 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. It lines up with what you'd expect.
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. If you've been scrolling through listings in high-cost metros and feeling defeated, look at these numbers again. Seriously. The difference between renting here and renting in a major coastal city could literally fund a retirement account. That's not hyperbole — run the math yourself. A thousand dollars a month saved, compounded over a decade, is a down payment on a house. In this city, that math actually works.
107,730 residents · Oregon
A closer look at Hillsboro: the cost index of 114 breaks down to a Utilities index of 104 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 134 (weakest). Median rent is $1,869/month — 1% below the national median — while household income sits at $103,207, meaning locals spend about 22% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
630,498 residents · Oregon
A closer look at Portland: the cost index of 111 — we had to double-check this one — 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 #3 spot goes to Salem, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,600/month — 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 (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
110,685 residents · Oregon
Here's the thing: Here's Gresham by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And depending on your situation, 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 an underrated factor in the decision.
177,899 residents · Oregon
Dive into Eugene's numbers: cost index 113 — we had to double-check this one — (1 points above national average), rent $1,988/month, income $63,836, and a home price of $467,032. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 104, while Housing runs 133. With 177,899 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Hillsboro | 9.9% | 0% | 0.87% | $67,282 |
2Portland | 9.9% | 0% | 0.87% | $67,282 |
3Salem | 9.9% | 0% | 0.87% | $67,282 |
4Gresham | 9.9% | 0% | 0.87% | $67,282 |
5Eugene | 9.9% | 0% | 0.87% | $67,282 |
We divide median home price by median household income for each city in Oregon. A ratio of 3× means a home costs 3 years of gross income — generally considered affordable. Ratios above 5× signal a stretched market. 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.
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.