Overall
- Fort Collins-Loveland
- 101.1
- Medford
- 101.4
Diff +0.3 RPP
Fort Collins-Loveland vs Medford
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Medford is 0.3% more expensive than Fort Collins-Loveland.
0.3% more expensive
Medford, OR is 0.3% more expensive than Fort Collins-Loveland, CO on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 101.4 vs 101.1). A $100,000 salary in Fort Collins-Loveland buys about the same as $100,302 in Medford; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 101.1 (Fort Collins-Loveland) vs 101.4 (Medford)
- $100k in Fort Collins-Loveland ≈ $100,302 purchasing power in Medford
- Rents drives the gap (-22.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair CO:OR 101.1→101.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE CO × OR
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Fort Collins-Loveland
101.1
Cost Index
Medford
101.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO and Medford, OR are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Medford is 22.9 points lower. But rents move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Fort Collins-Loveland corresponds to $100,302 in Medford.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Medford
- 105.3
Diff +9.2 RPP
Services
- Medford
- 102.3
Diff +20.1 RPP
Rents
- Fort Collins-Loveland
- 120.6
- Medford
- 97.7
Diff -22.9 RPP
| Category | Fort Collins-Loveland | Medford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 101.1 | 101.4 | +0.3 |
| Goods | 96.1 | 105.3 | +9.2 |
| Services | 82.2 | 102.3 | +20.1 |
| Rents | 120.6 | 97.7 | -22.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Fort Collins-Loveland 101.1
Medford 101.4
Goods
Fort Collins-Loveland 96.1
Medford 105.3
Services
Fort Collins-Loveland 82.2
Medford 102.3
Rents
Fort Collins-Loveland 120.6
Medford 97.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Fort Collins-Loveland would need to be in Medford for the same purchasing power:
| In Fort Collins-Loveland | In Medford | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,151 | +$151 |
| $75,000 | $75,226 | +$226 |
| $100,000 | $100,302 | +$302 |
| $150,000 | $150,452 | +$452 |
$ in Fort Collins-Loveland = in Medford
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (101.1 → 101.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medford more expensive than Fort Collins-Loveland?
Medford is 0.3% more expensive than Fort Collins-Loveland. The overall cost index is 101.4 vs 101.1 (national average = 100).
What salary in Medford equals $100K in Fort Collins-Loveland?
A $100,000 salary in Fort Collins-Loveland has the same purchasing power as $100,302 in Medford. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Fort Collins-Loveland and Medford?
Rents in Fort Collins-Loveland are indexed at 120.6 while Medford is at 97.7 (national average = 100). Fort Collins-Loveland has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.