Portland, OR vs Manchester, NH
Moving from Portland to Manchester? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $526,340 median home) and taxes.
Portland vs Manchester 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 $98,977 in Manchester, NH (−$1,023).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Manchester, NH: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 1,710 sqft in Manchester ($325 vs $292 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Manchester, NH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $25,632 | +$4,068 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $4,935 | −$305 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $2,955 | −$725 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $2,940 | +$1,236 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,000 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $6,681 | −$7,701 |
| Total | $47,470 | $44,143 | −$3,327 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Manchester, NH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 105.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 3.69% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 4.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 37 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $6.01 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $526,340 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 5.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | 2.2% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $292 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $2,136 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 1.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.80% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 27.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 120 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 81 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 10 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |