Portland, OR vs Fargo, ND
Moving from Portland to Fargo? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $327,854 median home) and taxes.
Portland vs Fargo 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 $83,527 in Fargo, ND (−$16,473).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Fargo, ND: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 2,592 sqft in Fargo ($325 vs $193 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Fargo, ND | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $13,872 | −$7,692 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $4,850 | −$390 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,130 | −$550 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,332 | −$372 |
| Insurance | $900 | $2,100 | +$1,200 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $8,083 | −$6,299 |
| Total | $47,470 | $33,367 | −$14,103 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Fargo, ND |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 89.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 3.11% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 8.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.07 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $327,854 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | 3.2% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $193 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $1,156 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 8.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 7.04% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 1.20% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 18 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 12.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.20 |
| Natural gas / mo | $58 | $62 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $224 | $70 |
| Home internet / mo | $82 | $88 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 290 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | -2 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 43.7 | 22.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 3.4 | 50.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 48% | 57% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |