Overall
Diff +2.2 RPP
Medford vs Bend
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Bend is 2.1% more expensive than Medford.
2.1% more expensive
Bend, OR is 2.1% more expensive than Medford, OR on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 103.6 vs 101.4). A $100,000 salary in Medford buys about the same as $102,143 in Bend; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 101.4 (Medford) vs 103.6 (Bend)
- $100k in Medford ≈ $102,143 purchasing power in Bend
- Rents drives the gap (+12.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair OR:OR 101.4→103.6
TIER-NEAR · SAME-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- SAME-STATE Same state · 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.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff 0.0 RPP
Services
Diff +2.7 RPP
Rents
Diff +12.3 RPP
| Category | Medford | Bend | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 101.4 | 103.6 | +2.2 |
| Goods | 105.3 | 105.3 | 0.0 |
| Services | 102.3 | 105.0 | +2.7 |
| Rents | 97.7 | 110.0 | +12.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Medford 101.4
Bend 103.6
Goods
Medford 105.3
Bend 105.3
Services
Medford 102.3
Bend 105.0
Rents
Medford 97.7
Bend 110.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rents creates the largest separation: Bend is 12.3 points higher. But goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Bend, OR is 2.1% more expensive than Medford, OR, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 2.2-point overall gap.
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.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
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 Medford corresponds to $102,143 in Bend.
Medford
101.4
Cost Index
Bend
103.6
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Medford would need to be in Bend for the same purchasing power:
| In Medford | In Bend | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $51,072 | +$1,072 |
| $75,000 | $76,607 | +$1,607 |
| $100,000 | $102,143 | +$2,143 |
| $150,000 | $153,215 | +$3,215 |
$ in Medford = in Bend
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (101.4 → 103.6), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bend more expensive than Medford?
Bend is 2.1% more expensive than Medford. The overall cost index is 103.6 vs 101.4 (national average = 100).
What salary in Bend equals $100K in Medford?
A $100,000 salary in Medford has the same purchasing power as $102,143 in Bend. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Medford and Bend?
Rents in Medford are indexed at 97.7 while Bend is at 110.0 (national average = 100). Bend 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.