Portland, OR vs Buffalo, NY
Moving from Portland to Buffalo? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $288,316 median home) and taxes.
Portland vs Buffalo 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 Portland, OR, you'd need about $88,949 in Buffalo, NY (−$11,051).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Buffalo, NY: 61 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 2,775 sqft in Buffalo ($325 vs $180 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Buffalo, NY | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $17,328 | −$4,236 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $4,868 | −$372 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,895 | +$215 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $3,180 | +$1,476 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,600 | +$700 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $18,192 | +$3,810 |
| Total | $47,470 | $49,063 | +$1,593 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Buffalo, NY |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 94.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 5.10% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 2.4% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 44 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.40 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $288,316 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 4.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | 4.8% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $180 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $1,444 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 15.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 8.52% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 10.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 2.26% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $17,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.45 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 5 |