Buffalo, NY vs Portland, OR
Moving from Buffalo to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($288,316 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
Buffalo vs Portland at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Buffalo, NY, you'd need about $112,424 in Portland, OR (+$12,424).
Livability — Buffalo, NY: 61 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,775 sqft in Buffalo vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($180 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Buffalo, NY | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,328 | $21,564 | +$4,236 |
| Groceries | $4,868 | $5,240 | +$372 |
| Transportation | $3,895 | $3,680 | −$215 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $1,704 | −$1,476 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $900 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $18,192 | $14,382 | −$3,810 |
| Total | $49,063 | $47,470 | −$1,593 |
Side by side
| Metric | Buffalo, NY | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.9 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.10% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.4% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $288,316 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.8% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $180 | $325 |
| Median rent | $1,444 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.9% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.52% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.90% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 2.26% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $17,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.45 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 350 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 4 |