Portland, OR vs Omaha, NE
Moving from Portland to Omaha? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $310,337 median home) and taxes.
Portland vs Omaha 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 $86,657 in Omaha, NE (−$13,343).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Omaha, NE: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 2,738 sqft in Omaha ($325 vs $183 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Omaha, NE | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $17,328 | −$4,236 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $4,828 | −$412 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,300 | −$380 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,440 | −$264 |
| Insurance | $900 | $3,600 | +$2,700 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $11,575 | −$2,807 |
| Total | $47,470 | $42,070 | −$5,400 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Omaha, NE |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 92.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 3.42% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 5.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 50 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.26 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $310,337 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 3.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | 2.2% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $183 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $1,444 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 6.97% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 5.20% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.27% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 13.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 14 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |