Registered Nurses salary in Portland, OR

Median pay for registered nurses in Portland, OR: $116,850/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $94,630 – $137,870 · about 23,650 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($80,810) by +$36,040 (+45%).

What it's really worth in Portland

With Portland's cost of living at 107 (US=100), that $116,850 has the buying power of about $109,498 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $90,451 · median home $552,022 · median rent $1,797/mo.

Full Portland cost of living & taxes →

How Portland ranks for this job

On raw pay, Portland, OR is 21st of the 187 metros we hold registered nurses wages for. Once Portland's cost of living is applied, it ranks 20th.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Portland sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Portland

A median home in Portland, OR costs $552,022 — about 4.7× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,797/mo works out at 18% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where registered nurses earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Portland.

Metro	Median pay	vs Portland	Rent vs Portland
Vallejo, CA	$187,080	+60%	1.3×
San Francisco, CA	$181,240	+55%	1.8×
San Jose, CA	$179,210	+53%	2×
Sacramento, CA	$157,810	+35%	1.3×

Same job elsewhere in OR

Metro	Median pay	vs Portland	Rent vs Portland
Salem, OR	$107,080	−8%	0.9×
Eugene, OR	$100,780	−14%	1×

Staying in OR keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Who hires registered nurses around Portland

Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.

• Providence Health & Services · Healthcare
• OHSU · Education
• Portland Public Schools · Education
• City of Portland · Government

Other jobs in Portland