Phoenix, AZ vs Portland, OR
Moving from Phoenix to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix 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 Phoenix, AZ, you'd need about $101,947 in Portland, OR (+$1,947).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($242 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $21,564 | +$660 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $5,240 | +$321 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,680 | −$280 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $1,704 | +$36 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $900 | −$900 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $14,382 | +$7,102 |
| Total | $40,531 | $47,470 | +$6,939 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 86 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $325 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |