Omaha, NE vs Portland, OR
Moving from Omaha to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($310,337 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
Omaha 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 Omaha, NE, you'd need about $115,398 in Portland, OR (+$15,398).
Livability — Omaha, NE: 69 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,738 sqft in Omaha vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($183 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Omaha, NE | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,328 | $21,564 | +$4,236 |
| Groceries | $4,828 | $5,240 | +$412 |
| Transportation | $3,300 | $3,680 | +$380 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $1,704 | +$264 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $900 | −$2,700 |
| Taxes | $11,575 | $14,382 | +$2,808 |
| Total | $42,070 | $47,470 | +$5,400 |
Side by side
| Metric | Omaha, NE | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.5 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.42% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 50 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.26 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $310,337 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.2% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $183 | $325 |
| Median rent | $1,444 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.97% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.20% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 1.71% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.27% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 14 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |