Lancaster, PA vs Portland, OR
Moving from Lancaster to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($388,207 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
Lancaster 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 Lancaster, PA, you'd need about $110,294 in Portland, OR (+$10,294).
Livability — Lancaster, PA: 64 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,254 sqft in Lancaster vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($222 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lancaster, PA | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,312 | $21,564 | +$3,252 |
| Groceries | $4,915 | $5,240 | +$325 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $3,680 | +$240 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,704 | −$612 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $900 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $9,202 | $14,382 | +$5,180 |
| Total | $39,385 | $47,470 | +$8,085 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lancaster, PA | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 96.8 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.38% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.1% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 50 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.51 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $388,207 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.6% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $222 | $325 |
| Median rent | $1,526 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 1.48% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |