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2024 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Portland, OR vs Salem, OR

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Salem or is it cheaper to live in Portland?
- Salem is 18.6% less expensive than Portland.

Which city has more affordable housing, Salem or Portland?
- Salem housing costs are 34.0% less expensive than Portland housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Portland or is Health Care more affordable in Salem.
- Health related expenses are 2.4% more in Salem.
 Portland, ORSalem, ORUnited States
 Overall127.7104.0100
 Food & Groceries103.7100.3100
 Health90.692.8100
 Housing184.1121.5100
 Median Home Cost$537,200$399,000$338,100
 Utilities7,990.0%7,930.0%10,000.0%
 Transportation129.996.1100
 Miscellaneous140.1103.6100

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 Salem    37 Reviews

After reading the reviews here, I had to come write my own. The problem I had with most of the reviews is that most were very opinion-based and seemed to assume everyone  More

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Moved here approx. 4 years ago from SW Michigan, but I've lived in 9 other cities & 5 other states. Salem is a very manageable sized city, with tons of parks, diverse  More

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Over 4 years ago

I'm a native 5th generation Oregonian, so bear in mind that I was born with webs between my toes! Anyway, I used to think it rained too much when I was young. Then I  More

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ZIPS IN PORTLAND, OREGON
97206, 97202, 97233, 97219, 97236, 97230, 97211, 97266, 97217, 97203, 28 total
ZIPS IN SALEM, OREGON
97301 97302 97304 97306

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