Portland, OR vs Washington, DC
Moving from Portland to Washington? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $583,013 median home) and taxes.
Portland vs Washington 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 $102,651 in Washington, DC (+$2,651).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Washington, DC: 39 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 1,286 sqft in Washington ($325 vs $389 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Washington, DC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $28,992 | +$7,428 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $5,318 | +$78 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,855 | +$175 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $2,748 | +$1,044 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,400 | +$500 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $17,710 | +$3,328 |
| Total | $47,470 | $60,023 | +$12,553 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Washington, DC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 109.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 4.87% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 4.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $6.23 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $583,013 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | -0.5% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $389 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $2,416 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 12.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 10.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 0.95% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $26,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 34 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 25.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 1,000 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 29 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |