Portland, OR vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Portland to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Portland vs Chicago 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 $96,038 in Chicago, IL (−$3,962).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($325 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $27,192 | +$5,628 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $5,215 | −$25 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,550 | −$130 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $2,208 | +$504 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,900 | +$1,000 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $14,141 | −$241 |
| Total | $47,470 | $54,206 | +$6,736 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $208 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 2.11% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 15 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |