Overall
- Modesto
- 104.1
Diff +1.3 RPP
Modesto vs Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro is 1.3% more expensive than Modesto.
1.3% more expensive
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA is 1.3% more expensive than Modesto, CA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 105.4 vs 104.1). A $100,000 salary in Modesto buys about the same as $101,261 in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 104.1 (Modesto) vs 105.4 (Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro)
- $100k in Modesto ≈ $101,261 purchasing power in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro
- Services drives the gap (-45.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair CA:OR 104.1→105.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE CA × 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.
Modesto
104.1
Cost Index
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro
105.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Modesto, CA and Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 1.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro is 45.3 points lower. But services 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Modesto to $101,261 in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Modesto
- 105.2
Diff +0.1 RPP
Services
- Modesto
- 152.3
Diff -45.3 RPP
Rents
- Modesto
- 108.5
Diff +16.6 RPP
| Category | Modesto | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 104.1 | 105.4 | +1.3 |
| Goods | 105.2 | 105.2 | +0.1 |
| Services | 152.3 | 107.0 | -45.3 |
| Rents | 108.5 | 125.1 | +16.6 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Modesto 104.1
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 105.4
Goods
Modesto 105.2
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 105.2
Services
Modesto 152.3
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 107.0
Rents
Modesto 108.5
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 125.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Modesto would need to be in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro for the same purchasing power:
| In Modesto | In Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,631 | +$631 |
| $75,000 | $75,946 | +$946 |
| $100,000 | $101,261 | +$1,261 |
| $150,000 | $151,892 | +$1,892 |
$ in Modesto = in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (104.1 → 105.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro more expensive than Modesto?
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro is 1.3% more expensive than Modesto. The overall cost index is 105.4 vs 104.1 (national average = 100).
What salary in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro equals $100K in Modesto?
A $100,000 salary in Modesto has the same purchasing power as $101,261 in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Modesto and Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro?
Rents in Modesto are indexed at 108.5 while Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro is at 125.1 (national average = 100). Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 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.