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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. 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 c…
110,685 residents · Oregon
Why Gresham ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 107 on the cost index, residents save roughly 5% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,594/month while the median household pulls in $73,608/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 98, though Housing (117) lags behind. Home prices average $463,410 — $3,960 below the national median.
177,432 residents · Oregon
Salem comes in at #2. Rent is $1,600 — for better or worse — a month. Household income is $71,900. The cost of living index is 105. About what you'd guess (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
630,498 residents · Oregon
Why Portland ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. It's fine. Not great, not bad. At 111 on the cost index, residents save roughly 1% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,710/month while the median household pulls in $88,792/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 102, though Housing (128) lags behind. Home prices average $524,251 — $56,881 above the national median (a figure that keeps climbing, by the way). Solidly above average.
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
Dive into Eugene's numbers: cost index 113 — this is the part where it gets real — (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.
#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. 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 (your mileage may vary — literally).
Look, If there's one takeaway from this page, it's this: 4 of 5 cities keep rent under 30% of $75K. 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. That's a spread that makes moving costs look trivial.
Gresham earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. And generally speaking, the 107 cost index sits 5 points below the national baseline, and the $73,608 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $463,410 — $3,960 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Utilities leads the way at 98, while Housing trails at 117.
On a $75K salary, the key number is $1,875/month — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — — that's 30% of gross, the standard affordability line. Gresham ($1,594/mo, 26%), Salem ($1,600/mo, 26%), Portland ($1,710/mo, 27%) all clear that bar. After federal tax, FICA (7.65%), and state income tax, estimated take-home ranges from $50,285 to $50,285/year across these top picks (that's pre-tax, of course).
Look, Digging deeper, Across Oregon, the average cost of living index is 110 — 2 points below the national median. And in most cases, 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. Even in a down market, this kind of cost structure protects household budgets.
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.
| 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 model what a $75K salary looks like after taxes in each city: federal income tax (marginal brackets), FICA (7.65%), and state income tax. Then we compare take-home against local rent and costs to determine where the salary stretches furthest. 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.