Cedar Rapids, IA vs Portland, OR
Moving from Cedar Rapids to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($244,344 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
Cedar Rapids 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 Cedar Rapids, IA, you'd need about $118,590 in Portland, OR (+$18,590).
Livability — Cedar Rapids, IA: 72 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,376 sqft in Cedar Rapids vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($148 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Cedar Rapids, IA | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,808 | $21,564 | +$6,756 |
| Groceries | $4,831 | $5,240 | +$409 |
| Transportation | $3,150 | $3,680 | +$530 |
| Utilities | $1,500 | $1,704 | +$204 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $900 | −$800 |
| Taxes | $9,296 | $14,382 | +$5,086 |
| Total | $35,285 | $47,470 | +$12,185 |
Side by side
| Metric | Cedar Rapids, IA | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.0 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.63% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.12 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $244,344 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.2× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.6% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $148 | $325 |
| Median rent | $1,234 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.80% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 1.64% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.00% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.9 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 12 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |