Manchester, NH vs Portland, OR
Moving from Manchester to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($526,340 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
Manchester 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 Manchester, NH, you'd need about $101,034 in Portland, OR (+$1,034).
Livability — Manchester, NH: 62 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,710 sqft in Manchester vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($292 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Manchester, NH | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,632 | $21,564 | −$4,068 |
| Groceries | $4,935 | $5,240 | +$305 |
| Transportation | $2,955 | $3,680 | +$725 |
| Utilities | $2,940 | $1,704 | −$1,236 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $900 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $6,681 | $14,382 | +$7,701 |
| Total | $44,143 | $47,470 | +$3,327 |
Side by side
| Metric | Manchester, NH | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 105.6 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.69% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.0% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.01 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $526,340 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.5× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.2% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $292 | $325 |
| Median rent | $2,136 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 1.88% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.80% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.2 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 120 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 81 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |