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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, Gresham, Salem, 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, Gresham, Salem, Eugene are all within striking distance. At this margin, secondary factors — taxes, rent trends, category-specific costs — become the tiebreakers. No major red flags in that number. Here's the full breakdown.
Top 5 separated by only 1 points. The race is tight: Hillsboro, Portland, Gresham, Salem, Eugene are all within 1 points of each other. At this level, differences in rent, taxes, or a single category can sway the decision. For anyone relocating from a high-cost market, this will feel like a raise.
Here's Hillsboro by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 114. Rent: $1,869/month. Income: $103,207/year. Home price: $516,726. Population: 107,730. The strongest category is Utilities at 104; the most expensive is Housing at 134. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $312 per year vs. the national median. That's the kind of stat homebuyers should print out for their mortgage meetings.
The ranking uses a composite of 2026 data from Census Bureau population/income surveys, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary benchmarks, and Tax Foundation tax rates. That tracks. Hillsboro (index 114, rent $1,869); Portland (index 111, rent $1,710); Gresham (index 107, rent $1,594). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
Worth noting: The 5 cities we track in Oregon paint a surprisingly balanced picture. And generally speaking, average cost index: 110. Median rent: $1,752/month. Household income: $80,269. Oregon is known for Portland premium contrasting with inland bargains — and the data backs that reputation convincingly.
Bottom line: Hillsboro 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.
107,730 residents · Oregon
Why Hillsboro ranks #1: 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 (though the trend is moving in the right direction).
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. 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.
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. 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. The delta here is big enough to fund a retirement account.
177,432 residents · Oregon
A closer look at Salem: the cost index of 105 breaks down to a Utilities index of 97 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 113 (weakest). Median rent is $1,600/month — 16% below the national median — while household income sits at $71,900, meaning locals spend about 27% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
177,899 residents · Oregon
Eugene earns its position at #5 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 113 cost index sits 1 points above the national baseline, and the $63,836 median income means purchasing power here is partially offset by higher costs. Homes list at $467,032 — $338 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Utilities leads the way at 104, while Housing trails at 133.
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.