Portland, OR vs Provo, UT
Moving from Portland to Provo? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $546,641 median home) and taxes.
Portland vs Provo 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 $89,717 in Provo, UT (−$10,283).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Provo, UT: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 1,921 sqft in Provo ($325 vs $260 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Provo, UT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $21,900 | +$336 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $4,736 | −$504 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,450 | −$230 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,440 | −$264 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,200 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $9,160 | −$5,222 |
| Total | $47,470 | $41,885 | −$5,585 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Provo, UT |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 95.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 3.41% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 15.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.45 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $546,641 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 6.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | 1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $260 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $1,825 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 12.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 7.19% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 4.65% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 0.45% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $450 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 13.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 260 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 92 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 24 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |