New Haven, CT vs Portland, OR
Moving from New Haven to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($408,096 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
New Haven 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 New Haven, CT, you'd need about $101,287 in Portland, OR (+$1,287).
Livability — New Haven, CT: 58 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,328 sqft in New Haven vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($215 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | New Haven, CT | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $26,232 | $21,564 | −$4,668 |
| Groceries | $4,930 | $5,240 | +$310 |
| Transportation | $3,720 | $3,680 | −$40 |
| Utilities | $3,480 | $1,704 | −$1,776 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $900 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $15,543 | $14,382 | −$1,160 |
| Total | $55,505 | $47,470 | −$8,034 |
Side by side
| Metric | New Haven, CT | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 105.4 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.36% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.5% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.99 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $408,096 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.0× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.8% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $215 | $325 |
| Median rent | $2,186 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.4% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.35% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 6.99% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 2.17% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.07% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 32.2 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.40 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 150 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 18 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |