Overall
Diff -2.2 RPP
Salem vs Medford
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Medford is 2.1% less expensive than Salem.
2.1% less expensive
Medford, OR is 2.1% less expensive than Salem, OR on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 101.4 vs 103.6). A $100,000 salary in Salem buys about the same as $97,862 in Medford; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 103.6 (Salem) vs 101.4 (Medford)
- $100k in Salem ≈ $97,862 purchasing power in Medford
- Rents drives the gap (-12.7 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair OR:OR 103.6→101.4
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 -2.4 RPP
Rents
Diff -12.7 RPP
| Category | Salem | Medford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 103.6 | 101.4 | -2.2 |
| Goods | 105.3 | 105.3 | 0.0 |
| Services | 104.7 | 102.3 | -2.4 |
| Rents | 110.3 | 97.7 | -12.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Salem 103.6
Medford 101.4
Goods
Salem 105.3
Medford 105.3
Services
Salem 104.7
Medford 102.3
Rents
Salem 110.3
Medford 97.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rents creates the largest separation: Medford is 12.7 points lower. But goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Medford, OR is 2.1% less expensive than Salem, 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 Salem corresponds to $97,862 in Medford.
Salem
103.6
Cost Index
Medford
101.4
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Salem would need to be in Medford for the same purchasing power:
| In Salem | In Medford | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $48,931 | $-1,069 |
| $75,000 | $73,397 | $-1,603 |
| $100,000 | $97,862 | $-2,138 |
| $150,000 | $146,793 | $-3,207 |
$ in Salem = in Medford
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (103.6 → 101.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medford more expensive than Salem?
Medford is 2.1% less expensive than Salem. The overall cost index is 101.4 vs 103.6 (national average = 100).
What salary in Medford equals $100K in Salem?
A $100,000 salary in Salem has the same purchasing power as $97,862 in Medford. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Salem and Medford?
Rents in Salem are indexed at 110.3 while Medford is at 97.7 (national average = 100). Salem 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.