Portland, OR vs Salisbury, MD
Moving from Portland to Salisbury? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $429,483 median home) and taxes.
Portland vs Salisbury 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 $86,814 in Salisbury, MD (−$13,186).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Salisbury, MD: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 2,212 sqft in Salisbury ($325 vs $226 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Salisbury, MD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $23,616 | +$2,052 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $4,863 | −$377 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,685 | +$5 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $2,388 | +$684 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,400 | +$500 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $9,253 | −$5,129 |
| Total | $47,470 | $45,205 | −$2,265 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Salisbury, MD |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 92.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 5.84% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 40 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.27 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $429,483 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 5.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | -0.5% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $226 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $1,968 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 11.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 0.49% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 22.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 450 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 27 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |