Cost of living in Oregon
Prices in Oregon are 3.4% above the U.S. average, and it ranks #7 of 51 for the salary needed to live a typical American lifestyle (#1 is the most expensive). Here's what it takes in 2026.
These figures answer different questions: “typical lifestyle” preserves an illustrative level of buying power; “rent affordably” uses a 30% housing ratio; “buy” uses a lender-style housing ratio. They are not a complete minimum living-wage budget or an individual wage survey. Housing medians are Census ACS 2024; price levels are BEA 2024; taxes use 2026 rules.
What your salary is worth in Oregon
Take-home in Oregon: $71,332 a year
The default is a move from California, the state that sends the most movers to Oregon (IRS 2022–2023), using its median household income as an illustrative single-earner salary. Household income can include several earners and other income; it is not a typical individual wage. A salary and filing status entered in another tool carry over. Pick Oregon if you already live here.
$100,000 a year in Oregon leaves you about $71,332 after taxes once you pay $13,170 federal income tax, $7,650 Social Security and Medicare, $7,148 Oregon income tax and $700 in state payroll programs.
Single filer, W-2 salary, standard deduction, 2026 rules, no city income tax. Buying power: your take-home at Oregon prices vs. the U.S. median household income ($81,604) taxed the same way in a typical state.
Salary needed to live in Oregon
Typical lifestyle. We take the U.S. median household income of $81,604, taxed as a single filer in a typical state, and find the Oregon salary that buys the same after taxes at Oregon prices (price level 103.4, where the U.S. = 100). At $94,100, a single filer here pays $11,872 federal income tax, $7,199 Social Security and Medicare, and $6,632 state income tax, plus $659 in state payroll programs, keeping $67,739. A married couple filing jointly needs about $92,600 of combined pay, measured against a couple earning the U.S. median taxed jointly. That figure differs from the single-filer one only because of joint tax rates; it isn't a larger budget for two people. For that, see the salary needed for a couple or a family.
Renting. The median Oregon rent is $1,597 a month, 7% above the U.S. median of $1,487. Keeping it to 30% of gross pay, a common affordability line, takes $63,880 a year.
Buying. The median Oregon home is worth $497,500, 38% above the U.S. median. Using modeled housing costs at 28% of gross income, the planning benchmark is about $134,176 with 20% down, or $156,702 with 10% down (including mortgage insurance), with no HOA or other debt payments. These figures exclude maintenance, repairs and utilities; mortgage approval depends on the lender and loan program.
Taxes. Taxes push Oregon up the ranking: it's #11 of 51 for prices but #7 for the salary needed, because its state taxes are heavier than those of states with similar prices. Oregon taxes wages at graduated rates that rise with income: about $6,632 at the typical-lifestyle salary, or 7.0% of pay, and a larger share of higher salaries. Homeowners pay a median $3,895 a year in property tax, about 0.78% of the median home's value, against 0.89% nationally.
Salary needed for a family in Oregon
A family of four, two adults with children aged 4 and 9, needs about $188,400 a year in Oregon to live like the single adult above, sized for four people. A single parent with one child needs about $150,700, and a couple without children about $114,300. For comparison, the median four-person household in Oregon earned $133,772 in 2024 (Census ACS table B19019 (opens in new tab)). Our figure is higher because it starts from what the median U.S. household earns, whatever its size, and sizes that standard of living up for four people.
The single adult's typical-lifestyle salary above leaves $48,575 a year after taxes and rent for everything else: food, transportation, health care, utilities, savings and the rest. A bigger household needs more of that. We scale it with the Census Bureau's equivalence scale for household size, the one behind its Supplemental Poverty Measure (opens in new tab): 1.41 times as much for a couple, 1.51 for a single parent with one child and 2.16 for two adults with two children. Each household also pays the median rent for a home with enough bedrooms (two with children) and full-time center care for a child under 5, and its taxes use its own filing status and child tax credits.
| Household | Salary needed | Taxes | Rent | Child care | Everything else |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single adult single filer | $94,100 | $26,361 | $19,164 all homes | none | $48,575 |
| Couple, no children married, joint | $114,300 | $26,462 | $19,164 all homes | none | $68,674 |
| Single parent, 1 child head of household; age 4 | $150,700 | $42,655 | $19,440 2 bedrooms | $15,284 | $73,321 |
| Family of 4 married, joint; ages 4 and 9 | $188,400 | $48,900 | $19,440 2 bedrooms | $15,284 | $104,776 |
This is a modeled lifestyle benchmark, not a minimum income requirement. Its starting budget uses national median household income as a single-adult reference before scaling for larger households; family estimates can therefore exceed what typical families earn. Use your own expenses in the personal move budget for an individual plan. Taxes: 2026 federal and Oregon income tax with the standard deduction, Social Security and Medicare, and state payroll programs. Households with children get the federal child tax credit ($2,200 a child). The federal child and dependent care credit isn't counted; the income-based credit on the 4-year-old's care is $600 to $1,050 at these incomes (20% to 35% of $3,000), subject to work-related care and other eligibility rules and limited to the income tax owed. Oregon also has a state child tax credit that isn't counted here (many are limited to lower incomes). Any state exemption or deduction for dependents isn't included, so where the state has one, state tax for the households with children may be a little lower. The single parent files as head of household on both the federal and Oregon returns.
Child care: full-time center care for the 4-year-old at Child Care Aware of America's 2025 Oregon average price; the 9-year-old is in school, and before- and after-school care isn't counted. Rent: Census ACS 2024 median gross rent for all homes, or for two bedrooms with children (table B25031). These are the move calculator's own figures: see the family of 4 in the calculator.
What things cost in Oregon
Overall, prices in Oregon are 3.4% above the U.S. average. The widest gap is in housing rents (108.6, 8.6% above average); other services are closest to it, at 100.3.
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the state.
| Measure | Oregon | Compared with U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,597/mo | 7% higher ($1,487) |
| Median home value | $497,500 | 38% higher ($360,600) |
| Median property tax | $3,895/yr | 21% higher ($3,211) |
| Average electric bill | $134/mo | 11% lower ($151) |
| Infant child care (center) | $21,774/yr | 2025 state average |
Cost of living by metro area in Oregon
Portland is the most expensive of the 3 metro areas we cover centered in Oregon: a single filer needs about $96,200 there for a typical lifestyle, against $92,200 in Eugene. Statewide, it's $94,100.
| Metro area | Salary needed | Price level | Median rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR | $96,200 | 105.4 | $1,767/mo |
| Bend, OR | $94,300 | 103.6 | $1,834/mo |
| Eugene, OR | $92,200 | 101.6 | $1,470/mo |
| Oregon statewide | $94,100 | 103.4 | $1,597/mo |
Salary needed: a single filer with Oregon taxes and the metro's price level, the same method as the statewide figure. It leaves out the local income tax on residents of Portland; the city pages include it. Price level: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (U.S. = 100). Rent: Census ACS 2024 median gross rent.
States with a similar cost of living
- Maryland $95,000
- New York $95,000
- New Jersey $95,100
- Massachusetts $92,900
- Washington, DC $97,300
- Connecticut $90,900
Frequently asked questions
What is the cost of living in Oregon?
Oregon's price level is 103.4 (U.S. = 100), 3.4% above the national average, and it ranks #7 of 51 for the salary needed to live a typical lifestyle, where #1 is the most expensive. The median rent is $1,597 a month and the median home is worth $497,500.
How much do you need to make to live comfortably in Oregon?
A single filer needs about $94,100 a year in Oregon to match the buying power of the U.S. median household income ($81,604) in a typical state, after 2026 federal and state taxes and local prices. Filing jointly, a married couple needs about $92,600 of combined pay to match a couple earning that same $81,604 taxed jointly. It differs from the single-filer figure only because of joint tax rates; it isn't a budget for two people. Sized for two people, a couple needs about $114,300. Renting the median Oregon home at 30% of income takes $63,880.
What salary do you need in Oregon for a family of 4?
About $188,400 a year for two adults and two children (ages 4 and 9) filing jointly, for the same standard of living as the single adult's typical lifestyle in Oregon, sized for four people. That pays $48,900 in 2026 taxes after the child tax credit, $19,440 in rent (the median for two bedrooms), $15,284 for full-time child care for the 4-year-old and $104,776 for everything else. A single parent with one child needs about $150,700, and a couple without children about $114,300. For comparison, the median four-person household in Oregon earned $133,772 in 2024 (Census ACS).
Does Oregon have a state income tax?
Yes. On $94,100 a single filer pays about $6,632 in Oregon income tax in 2026.
What is the cheapest metro area in Oregon?
Of the 3 metro areas we cover centered in Oregon, Eugene, OR has the lowest price level (101.6), and a single filer needs about $92,200 there for a typical lifestyle. Portland, OR is the most expensive (105.4, about $96,200).