Grants Pass cost of living
Prices in the Grants Pass, OR metro area run at 97.8 against a national average of 100, ranking it #117 of 387 metros. Rents there sit at 79.9.
What drives the number
Prices in Grants Pass run at 97.8 where the national average is 100, so about 2.2 per cent below the country as a whole. It ranks #117 of 387 metro areas. Against Oregon as a whole it is 5.6 points less expensive, which is the unusual direction, and it means the expensive part of the state is somewhere else.
Housing is unusually cheap relative to everything else here. Rents sit at 79.9 against goods at 105.3 and other services at 103.6, so the overall figure of 97.8 understates how affordable the housing itself is. Services, which are priced by local wages, are what hold the overall number up. Goods at 105.3 are themselves 5.3 points off national, which is a wide gap for a category that is mostly shipped in.
Low prices only help if pay does not fall by more. Dividing the local median wage by 97.8 is how to check, and the wage pages carry that comparison.
The vertical line is the national average of 100. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, SARPP, 2024.
What the biggest local jobs are really worth
The same pay buys different amounts in different places, so a salary quoted in Grants Pass is not comparable to one quoted elsewhere until it is divided by the local parity. These are the occupations that employ the most people here, with the quoted median alongside what that median is worth at national prices.
| Occupation | Employed | Median pay | Worth nationally | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,180 | $34,260 | $35,031 | $30,480 |
| Retail Salespersons | 790 | $36,190 | $37,004 | $34,580 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 760 | $36,860 | $37,689 | $37,090 |
| Cashiers | 740 | $33,060 | $33,804 | $31,190 |
| General and Operations Managers | 580 | $80,010 | $81,810 | $102,950 |
| Registered Nurses | 530 | $103,180 | $105,501 | $93,600 |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 490 | $35,480 | $36,278 | $35,240 |
| Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other | 470 | $37,900 | $38,753 | $37,900 |
Pay from the BLS metro survey, adjusted by dividing by the metro parity of 97.8.
Nearby metro areas
| Metro area | All items | Rents | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro | 105.4 | 125.1 | #28 |
| Corvallis | 104.0 | 114.4 | #36 |
| Bend | 103.6 | 110.0 | #39 |
| Salem | 103.6 | 110.3 | #41 |
| Albany | 102.1 | 101.1 | #57 |
| Eugene-Springfield | 101.6 | 98.4 | #60 |
Grants Pass: common questions
Is Grants Pass expensive?
Prices are 2.2% below the national average, a parity of 97.8 where the country is 100. It ranks #117 of the 387 metro areas BEA measures. Against Oregon as a whole it is 5.6 points less expensive.
What salary do you need in Grants Pass?
The median worker there earns $49,010, which buys what $50,112 buys nationally once local prices are taken into account. Comparing a salary offer between cities without this adjustment is comparing nothing useful.
Is housing the reason?
Usually. Rents here are at 79.9 against goods at 105.3. Goods barely vary between American cities because most are shipped and priced nationally; housing varies enormously, and it dominates any cost of living comparison.