Portland, OR vs Rochester, NY
Moving from Portland to Rochester? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $285,034 median home) and taxes.
Portland vs Rochester 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 $92,199 in Rochester, NY (−$7,801).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Rochester, NY: 59 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 2,807 sqft in Rochester ($325 vs $178 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Rochester, NY | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $19,164 | −$2,400 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $4,868 | −$372 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,895 | +$215 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $3,180 | +$1,476 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,600 | +$700 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $18,722 | +$4,340 |
| Total | $47,470 | $51,429 | +$3,959 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Rochester, NY |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 98.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 5.01% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 0.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 39 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.60 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $285,034 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | 4.7% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $178 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $1,597 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 15.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 8.52% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 10.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 2.76% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $17,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.45 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 5 |