Fargo, ND vs Portland, OR
Moving from Fargo to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($327,854 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
Fargo 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 Fargo, ND, you'd need about $119,722 in Portland, OR (+$19,722).
Livability — Fargo, ND: 68 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,592 sqft in Fargo vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($193 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Fargo, ND | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $13,872 | $21,564 | +$7,692 |
| Groceries | $4,850 | $5,240 | +$390 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,680 | +$550 |
| Utilities | $1,332 | $1,704 | +$372 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $900 | −$1,200 |
| Taxes | $8,083 | $14,382 | +$6,299 |
| Total | $33,367 | $47,470 | +$14,103 |
Side by side
| Metric | Fargo, ND | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.2% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $327,854 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.2% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $193 | $325 |
| Median rent | $1,156 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.8% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.04% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 1.20% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 18 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 12.3 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 290 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | -2 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |