Portland, OR vs Modesto, CA
Moving from Portland to Modesto? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $468,302 median home) and taxes.
Portland vs Modesto 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 $98,513 in Modesto, CA (−$1,487).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Modesto, CA: 52 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 1,602 sqft in Modesto ($325 vs $312 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Modesto, CA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $24,624 | +$3,060 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $5,247 | +$7 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $5,125 | +$1,445 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $3,804 | +$2,100 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,500 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $19,239 | +$4,857 |
| Total | $47,470 | $59,539 | +$12,069 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Modesto, CA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 105.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 8.16% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 3.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.98 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $468,302 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 6.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | -0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $312 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $2,052 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 13.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 8.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 13.30% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 0.73% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $19,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 0.65% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $950 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 35.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 4.85 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 500 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 45 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 5 |