Columbia, SC vs Portland, OR
Moving from Columbia to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($256,154 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
Columbia 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 Columbia, SC, you'd need about $114,472 in Portland, OR (+$14,472).
Livability — Columbia, SC: 69 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,903 sqft in Columbia vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($128 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbia, SC | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,444 | $21,564 | +$3,120 |
| Groceries | $4,797 | $5,240 | +$443 |
| Transportation | $3,465 | $3,680 | +$215 |
| Utilities | $1,848 | $1,704 | −$144 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $900 | −$1,100 |
| Taxes | $10,215 | $14,382 | +$4,167 |
| Total | $40,769 | $47,470 | +$6,701 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbia, SC | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.2 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.71% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.9% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.30 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $256,154 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $128 | $325 |
| Median rent | $1,537 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.44% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 6.40% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.63% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,500 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.33% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.1 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.05 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 530 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 36 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |