Lexington, KY vs Portland, OR
Moving from Lexington to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($327,671 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
Lexington 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 Lexington, KY, you'd need about $115,365 in Portland, OR (+$15,365).
Livability — Lexington, KY: 72 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,899 sqft in Lexington vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($173 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lexington, KY | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,336 | $21,564 | +$3,228 |
| Groceries | $4,721 | $5,240 | +$519 |
| Transportation | $3,870 | $3,680 | −$190 |
| Utilities | $1,620 | $1,704 | +$84 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $900 | −$1,300 |
| Taxes | $8,073 | $14,382 | +$6,309 |
| Total | $38,820 | $47,470 | +$8,650 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lexington, KY | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.5 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.70% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.0% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.26 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $327,671 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.7% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $173 | $325 |
| Median rent | $1,528 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.00% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.83% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.44% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $250 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.0 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 260 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 26 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |