Overall
- Medford
- 101.4
- Fort Collins-Loveland
- 101.1
Diff -0.3 RPP
Medford vs Fort Collins-Loveland
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Fort Collins-Loveland is 0.3% less expensive than Medford.
0.3% less expensive
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO is 0.3% less expensive than Medford, OR on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 101.1 vs 101.4). A $100,000 salary in Medford buys about the same as $99,699 in Fort Collins-Loveland; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 101.4 (Medford) vs 101.1 (Fort Collins-Loveland)
- $100k in Medford ≈ $99,699 purchasing power in Fort Collins-Loveland
- Rents drives the gap (+22.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair OR:CO 101.4→101.1
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE OR × CO
- 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.
Medford
101.4
Cost Index
Fort Collins-Loveland
101.1
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Medford, OR and Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 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: Fort Collins-Loveland is 22.9 points higher. 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 Medford corresponds to $99,699 in Fort Collins-Loveland.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Medford
- 105.3
Diff -9.2 RPP
Services
- Medford
- 102.3
Diff -20.1 RPP
Rents
- Medford
- 97.7
- Fort Collins-Loveland
- 120.6
Diff +22.9 RPP
| Category | Medford | Fort Collins-Loveland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 101.4 | 101.1 | -0.3 |
| Goods | 105.3 | 96.1 | -9.2 |
| Services | 102.3 | 82.2 | -20.1 |
| Rents | 97.7 | 120.6 | +22.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Medford 101.4
Fort Collins-Loveland 101.1
Goods
Medford 105.3
Fort Collins-Loveland 96.1
Services
Medford 102.3
Fort Collins-Loveland 82.2
Rents
Medford 97.7
Fort Collins-Loveland 120.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Medford would need to be in Fort Collins-Loveland for the same purchasing power:
| In Medford | In Fort Collins-Loveland | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,850 | $-150 |
| $75,000 | $74,774 | $-226 |
| $100,000 | $99,699 | $-301 |
| $150,000 | $149,549 | $-451 |
$ in Medford = in Fort Collins-Loveland
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (101.4 → 101.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fort Collins-Loveland more expensive than Medford?
Fort Collins-Loveland is 0.3% less expensive than Medford. The overall cost index is 101.1 vs 101.4 (national average = 100).
What salary in Fort Collins-Loveland equals $100K in Medford?
A $100,000 salary in Medford has the same purchasing power as $99,699 in Fort Collins-Loveland. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Medford and Fort Collins-Loveland?
Rents in Medford are indexed at 97.7 while Fort Collins-Loveland is at 120.6 (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.