Portland, OR vs Cedar Rapids, IA
Moving from Portland to Cedar Rapids? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $244,344 median home) and taxes.
Portland vs Cedar Rapids 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 $84,324 in Cedar Rapids, IA (−$15,676).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Cedar Rapids, IA: 72 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 3,376 sqft in Cedar Rapids ($325 vs $148 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Cedar Rapids, IA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $14,808 | −$6,756 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $4,831 | −$409 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,150 | −$530 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,500 | −$204 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,700 | +$800 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $9,296 | −$5,086 |
| Total | $47,470 | $35,285 | −$12,185 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Cedar Rapids, IA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 90.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 3.63% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 44 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.12 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $244,344 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 3.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | 3.6% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $148 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $1,234 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 11.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 6.94% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 3.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 1.64% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.00% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 20 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 13.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 12 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |