Overall
101.4
Above avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Medford, OR
Cost-of-living indicators for Medford, OR, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 101.4
- Overall RPP
- #62
- of 387 metros
- 97.7
- Rents RPP
- $99K
- $100K national buys
Medford ranks #62 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has risen 4.0 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- similar cost to Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford
The verdict
Medford is more expensive than 84% of U.S. metros, an overall cost index of 101.4, 1.4% above the national average, led by goods at 105.3.
- top 16%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 105.3
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 102.3
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $98,587 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $101,433.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Medford's overall RPP fell -2.0 points, from 103.4 in 2023 to 101.4 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 88.6 to 102.3. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending upward, increasing by 4.0 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2013, when the index dropped 3.7 points from the year before.
Medford overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 97.5 |
| 2009 | 99.6 |
| 2010 | 98.7 |
| 2011 | 102.0 |
| 2012 | 100.9 |
| 2013 | 97.2 |
| 2014 | 98.4 |
| 2015 | 98.7 |
| 2016 | 98.1 |
| 2017 | 100.0 |
| 2018 | 102.6 |
| 2019 | 99.9 |
| 2020 | 101.9 |
| 2021 | 102.2 |
| 2022 | 105.7 |
| 2023 | 103.4 |
| 2024 | 101.4 |
Goods-cost-led profile
How Medford's cost structure works
Everyday goods are the standout cost in Medford: their index is 105.3, the component furthest above the national benchmark. This is not a housing-only story: the overall RPP of 101.4 reflects a broader spending pressure.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Eugene-Springfield, OR, Albany, OR, Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA. They resemble Medford across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Medford's overall index has risen by 4.0 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Medford vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
101 Top 16% higher than 84% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Medford cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
97.7 RPP
- Services
Services
102.3 RPP
- Overall
Overall
101.4 RPP
- Goods
Goods
105.3 RPP
What this shows Medford's unusual line is goods at 105.3, with rents at 97.7. That broader tradable-price signal makes a housing-only explanation incomplete.
Goods vs. housing, where Medford's cost comes from
Metros near Medford's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Medford (Medford, this metro): goods RPP 105.3, rents RPP 97.7
- Orlando: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 123.4
- Eugene: goods RPP 105.3, rents RPP 98.4
- Hanford: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 93.5
- Chico: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 91.9
- Fort Collins: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 120.6
- Kenosha: goods RPP 106.2, rents RPP 95.8
Price Index Summary
Goods
105.3
Above avg
Services
102.3
Above avg
Rents
97.7
Below avg
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$101,433
in Medford, OR purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$50,717
$75,000 nationally
$76,075
$125,000 nationally
$126,791
$150,000 nationally
$152,150
$200,000 nationally
$202,866
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
27/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
27th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
OR-relative analysis
Services prices places Medford, OR near the bottom of OR's metros
Among the 8 OR metros PlainCost tracks with reported services prices data, Medford, OR ranks #8 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Medford, OR only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 8
13th percentile in OR
Services prices
#8 of 8
0th percentile in OR
Rent prices
#7 of 8
13th percentile in OR
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within OR only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Medford, OR: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (101.4 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (97.7 here).
Other OR Metros
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 105.4 Corvallis, OR 104.0 Salem, OR 103.6 Bend, OR 103.6 Albany, OR 102.1 Eugene-Springfield, OR 101.6
View all OR metros → Cheapest in OR → Most expensive in OR →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Medford's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Eugene-Springfield, OR
Goods 105.3 · Services 102.5 · Rents 98.3 Albany, OR
Goods 105.3 · Services 104.8 · Rents 101.1 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
Goods 100.7 · Services 108.1 · Rents 96.3 Lancaster, PA
Goods 100.7 · Services 107.3 · Rents 93.8 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
Goods 98.8 · Services 107.0 · Rents 94.7 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ
Goods 99.8 · Services 109.2 · Rents 98.7
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Medford, OR's index of 101.4.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Medford
How to read Medford's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $98,587 in Medford. Salary calculator
- Start with goods: it indexes at 105.3, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Medford head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Medford, OR?
Medford, OR has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 101.4, meaning it is 1.4% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 105.3, services at 102.3, and rents at 97.7. It ranks #62 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Medford, OR to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $101,433 in Medford, OR. Conversely, $100K earned in Medford, OR has the purchasing power of $98,587 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Medford, OR?
Rents in Medford, OR are indexed at 97.7, which is 2.3% below the national average. This is close to the U.S. average.
Is Medford, OR getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Medford, OR's overall cost index changed by +4.0 points (from 97.5 to 101.4). The cost of living has been trending upward.
What costs the most in Medford, OR?
The priciest category in Medford, OR is goods at 105.3, 5.3% above the national average. The most affordable category is rents at 97.7, 2.3% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Medford, OR?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Eugene-Springfield, Hanford-Corcoran. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Medford, OR's 101.4.
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.