Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro cost of living
Prices in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area run at 105.4 against a national average of 100, ranking it #28 of 387 metros. Rents there sit at 125.1.
What drives the number
Prices in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro run at 105.4 where the national average is 100, so about 5.4 per cent above the country as a whole. It ranks #28 of 387 metro areas. Against Oregon as a whole it is 2 points more expensive, which is the usual direction: cities cost more than the states around them.
Housing is doing nearly all of the work. Rents sit at 125.1 while goods sit at 105.2, a gap of 19.7 points between what it costs to live somewhere and what it costs to buy things. That pattern is the single most useful thing the parity series shows: the cost of a place is the cost of its housing. Goods at 105.2 are themselves 5.2 points off national, which is a wide gap for a category that is mostly shipped in.
The practical use of this number is converting pay between places. Take any salary quoted here, divide by 105.4, multiply by 100, and you have what it would need to be nationally to leave you equally well off.
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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 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 | 33,490 | $34,850 | $33,065 | $30,480 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 27,790 | $43,190 | $40,977 | $37,090 |
| Retail Salespersons | 27,440 | $36,770 | $34,886 | $34,580 |
| General and Operations Managers | 25,260 | $110,350 | $104,696 | $102,950 |
| Registered Nurses | 24,930 | $127,980 | $121,423 | $93,600 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 22,190 | $44,320 | $42,049 | $34,900 |
| Cashiers | 19,740 | $35,710 | $33,880 | $31,190 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 18,580 | $45,550 | $43,216 | $38,940 |
Pay from the BLS metro survey, adjusted by dividing by the metro parity of 105.4.
Nearby metro areas
| Metro area | All items | Rents | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | 111.1 | 151.3 | #7 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard | 105.6 | 129.6 | #26 |
| Corvallis | 104.0 | 114.4 | #36 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee | 103.9 | 115.0 | #37 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater | 103.7 | 116.7 | #38 |
| Bend | 103.6 | 110.0 | #39 |
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro: common questions
Is Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro expensive?
Prices are 5.4% above the national average, a parity of 105.4 where the country is 100. It ranks #28 of the 387 metro areas BEA measures. Against Oregon as a whole it is 2 points more expensive.
What salary do you need in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro?
The median worker there earns $59,040, which buys what $56,015 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 125.1 against goods at 105.2. Goods barely vary between American cities because most are shipped and priced nationally; housing varies enormously, and it dominates any cost of living comparison.