Charleston, WV vs Portland, OR
Moving from Charleston to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($148,817 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
Charleston 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 Charleston, WV, you'd need about $119,825 in Portland, OR (+$19,825).
Livability — Charleston, WV: 77 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 5,714 sqft in Charleston vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($88 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Charleston, WV | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,180 | $21,564 | +$6,384 |
| Groceries | $4,767 | $5,240 | +$473 |
| Transportation | $3,410 | $3,680 | +$270 |
| Utilities | $1,740 | $1,704 | −$36 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $900 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $8,230 | $14,382 | +$6,153 |
| Total | $34,627 | $47,470 | +$12,844 |
Side by side
| Metric | Charleston, WV | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.76% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 17.3% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 40 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $148,817 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 2.7× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.0% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $88 | $325 |
| Median rent | $1,265 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.8% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.55% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.12% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.65% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.66% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.1 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 26 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |