Roanoke, VA vs Portland, OR
Moving from Roanoke to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($301,139 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
Roanoke vs Portland 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 Roanoke, VA, you'd need about $117,005 in Portland, OR (+$17,005).
Livability — Roanoke, VA: 73 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,320 sqft in Roanoke vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($151 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Roanoke, VA | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,836 | $21,564 | +$4,728 |
| Groceries | $4,853 | $5,240 | +$387 |
| Transportation | $3,080 | $3,680 | +$600 |
| Utilities | $1,872 | $1,704 | −$168 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $900 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $9,549 | $14,382 | +$4,834 |
| Total | $37,690 | $47,470 | +$9,780 |
Side by side
| Metric | Roanoke, VA | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.2 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.05% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.5% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 40 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.19 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $301,139 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.8% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $151 | $325 |
| Median rent | $1,403 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.5% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.73% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.81% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.97% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 87 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 28 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |