Portland, OR vs Reading, PA
Moving from Portland to Reading? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $312,348 median home) and taxes.
Portland vs Reading 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 $90,397 in Reading, PA (−$9,603).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Reading, PA: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 2,801 sqft in Reading ($325 vs $179 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Reading, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $18,060 | −$3,504 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $4,915 | −$325 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,440 | −$240 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $2,316 | +$612 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,200 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $9,491 | −$4,891 |
| Total | $47,470 | $39,422 | −$8,048 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Reading, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 96.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 5.38% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 3.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.49 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $312,348 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | 2.6% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $179 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $1,505 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 1.86% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |