State cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cost of Living in Oregon
Statewide Regional Price Parities for Oregon from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100, across 8 metro areas.
- 103.4
- Statewide RPP
- #12
- of 51 states by cost
- 108.6
- Rents RPP
- 8
- Metro areas
Oregon ranks #12 of 51 states by cost, and its statewide price index has risen 5.6 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- fell -1.5 points in the 2023-2024 release
- similar cost to Florida
The verdict
Oregon is more expensive than 76% of U.S. states, a statewide cost index of 103.4, 3.4% above the national average.
- Rents
- furthest category from 100, at 108.6
- Florida
- closest statewide cost peer, 0.1 points away
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro
- highest-cost metro, 105.4
- Grants Pass
- lowest-cost metro, 97.8
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $96,748 when earned in Oregon.
Oregon vs every U.S. state
Where this state sits in the national cost distribution
103 Top 24% higher than 76% of 51 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. 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
Reading the Oregon Cost of Living Picture
Oregon clusters near the national line with Florida, Connecticut, Colorado as its closest statewide peers. In that near-par lane, the component mix matters more than the small headline distance from 100. Only 5.3 points separate its reported categories, so the statewide index transfers across household types more cleanly than it does in a polarized cost profile.
Oregon captures 8 metro areas in the BEA dataset, and the range across them is meaningful. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA leads on cost at 105.4, while Grants Pass, OR sits at the opposite end at 97.8 - a gap of 7.7 index points inside a single state. For goods the state indexes at 105.3, for services 107.0, and for rents 108.6. Rents sit within 5.3 points of the statewide index, so no single category is distorting the headline — unusual, and it makes the state number more transferable between households than most.
Over time, Oregon's statewide index has climbed by 5.6 points, meaning the cost gap between this state and cheaper parts of the country has widened. Practically, this means a $100,000 national salary delivers the purchasing power of about $96,748 of national buying power when earned inside Oregon, and a household relocating here would need roughly $103,361 to reproduce a $100K lifestyle. With 8 reporting metros inside the state, treat this figure as the midpoint of a range rather than a quote for any one address.
Metro areas in Oregon, ranked by cost
| # | Metro area | Overall | Goods | Services | Rents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro | 105.4 | 105.2 | 107.0 | 125.1 |
| 2 | Corvallis | 104.0 | 105.3 | 108.6 | 114.4 |
| 3 | Salem | 103.6 | 105.3 | 104.7 | 110.3 |
| 4 | Bend | 103.6 | 105.3 | 105.0 | 110.0 |
| 5 | Albany | 102.1 | 105.3 | 104.8 | 101.1 |
| 6 | Eugene-Springfield | 101.6 | 105.3 | 102.5 | 98.3 |
| 7 | Medford | 101.4 | 105.3 | 102.3 | 97.7 |
| 8 | Grants Pass | 97.8 | 105.3 | 103.6 | 79.9 |
The Rents RPP index measures housing costs relative to the national average (100). For the federal 40th-percentile Fair Market Rent by bedroom size and county, see the HUD Fair Market Rents dataset.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Oregon's overall RPP fell -1.5 points, from 104.8 in 2023 to 103.4 in 2024. The largest category move was services, changing from 91.0 to 107.0. RPP is a relative price index, so this reports a change against the national benchmark rather than a household's dollar bill.
Oregon RPP history, 2008–2024
The statewide index has risen 5.6 points from 2008 to 2024. The line shows every retained BEA release against the national benchmark of 100; the table preserves the component detail.
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 97.8 |
| 2009 | 100.3 |
| 2010 | 99.4 |
| 2011 | 99.8 |
| 2012 | 101.1 |
| 2013 | 100.2 |
| 2014 | 99.7 |
| 2015 | 101.1 |
| 2016 | 99.6 |
| 2017 | 101.5 |
| 2018 | 104.7 |
| 2019 | 103.8 |
| 2020 | 103.2 |
| 2021 | 103.2 |
| 2022 | 106.6 |
| 2023 | 104.8 |
| 2024 | 103.4 |
What this means in Oregon
The statewide index is a starting point, cost varies metro to metro within Oregon.
- Don't rely on the state figure alone: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro (105.4) and Grants Pass (97.8) sit 8 index points apart inside Oregon. Check your specific metro.
- Rents index at 108.6 (8.6% above average) - the largest swing in the RPP. Review the housing line before any relocation decision. Highest rents
- Weighing Oregon against another state? Convert your salary to local purchasing power first. Salary calculator
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark (national average = 100) for the data year shown, pair it with local wages and current rents before deciding.
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Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive rankings, cost of living vs wages, and how BEA constructs RPP data.
States with Similar Cost of Living
These states have RPP indices closest to Oregon, making them useful peers for relocation or budget comparison.
Nationwide states with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Oregon: nearest states by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are labelled nationwide neighborhoods, distinct from the closest-RPP list above.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest states by overall regional price parity (103.4 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest states by rents regional price parity (108.6 here).
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Oregon sit versus the national cost-of-living line?
Oregon has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 103.4, meaning it is 3.4% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 105.3, services at 107.0, and rents at 108.6.
What salary in Oregon equals $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $103,361 in Oregon. Conversely, $100K earned in Oregon has the purchasing power of $96,748 at the national average.
Is housing expensive in Oregon?
Rents in Oregon are indexed at 108.6, which is 8.6% above the national average. Housing costs are close to the national average.
Which metros stretch Oregon's cost range the widest?
The most expensive metro area in Oregon is Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA with an RPP of 105.4. The most affordable is Grants Pass, OR at 97.8. There are 8 metro areas in Oregon with BEA price data.
Has the cost of living in Oregon been climbing?
From 2008 to 2024, Oregon's overall cost index changed by +5.6 points (from 97.8 to 103.4). The cost of living has been trending upward.
What is most expensive in Oregon compared to the U.S. average?
The most expensive category in Oregon is rents at 108.6, which is 8.6% above the national average. All other categories are at or above the national average.
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 2024. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.