2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Portland, OR vs Palo Alto, CA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Palo Alto or is it cheaper to live in Portland?
- Palo Alto is 80.9% more expensive than Portland.

Which city has more affordable housing, Palo Alto or Portland?
- Palo Alto housing costs are 519.1% more expensive than Portland housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Portland or is Health Care more affordable in Palo Alto.
- Health related expenses are 18.9% more in Palo Alto.
 Portland, ORPalo Alto, CAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock231.0100
 Food & Groceries103.7  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock107.7100
 Housing184.1  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$3,107,600$338,100
 Utilities80  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock140.6100
 Miscellaneous140.1  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Portland    386 Reviews

I lived in Portland for 19 years (I've also lived in Boise, ID, the Bay Area, Austin, TX and now Nampa, ID). It drives me nuts when people try to give a large city a  More

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One of the best cities in America. Food scene is the best in the world. Weather is preferable over places where you have the same weather year round. I enjoy the  More

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I moved from Houston to Portland about a year ago. I remember reading the reviews on here and it making me second guess moving before I did, so I wanted to come back and  More

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Reviews for Palo Alto    8 Reviews

The Bay Area in general, but Palo Alto specifically provides many of the qualities sought by many; the climate is beautiful, there is access to cultural and recreational  More

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Over 17 years ago

Very  More

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Over 18 years ago

VTA and SamsTrans and Caltrain all provide good service and most times frequency of service is  More

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