Portland, OR vs Columbus, GA
Moving from Portland to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $209,527 median home) and taxes.
Portland vs Columbus 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 $83,251 in Columbus, GA (−$16,749).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Columbus, GA: 76 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 4,892 sqft in Columbus ($325 vs $102 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Columbus, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $15,336 | −$6,228 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $4,816 | −$424 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,515 | −$165 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,656 | −$48 |
| Insurance | $900 | $2,100 | +$1,200 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $9,327 | −$5,055 |
| Total | $47,470 | $36,750 | −$10,720 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Columbus, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 88.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 6.87% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.06 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $209,527 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 3.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | 3.0% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $102 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $1,278 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 0.79% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |