What is the cost of living in Medford?

Medford has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 101.4, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 97.7, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,530/month.

What is the median salary in Medford?

The median salary in Medford is $67,561 annually (mean: $70,421). Top occupations include Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Retail Salespersons.

The violent crime rate in the Medford area is 335 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 2410 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Medford?

The state of OR has 1,277 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 17.6:1. Charter schools make up 10.1% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Medford?

Infant center-based childcare in the Medford area averages $12,639 per year. Preschool averages $9,385/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Medford a good place to relocate?

Medford has a Life Score of 43.9/100 (F), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a below-average score, several dimensions likely pull the composite down; compare specific dimensions to see which ones.

Where does Medford sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Medford ranks #313 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Medford, OR

BEA RPP 101.4 ranks #326 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

101.4
Cost index (US=100): $1,530
2BR rent / mo: $67,561
Median salary: 41.5
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Medford ranks #313 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (41.5/100), with its strongest marks in low hazard and job market.

#313
of 387 US metros · Below median: 4,272,371
metro-area population: 335
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 1,277
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: climate (12/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Medford ranks #313 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 101.4 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,530/mo, median salary $67,561; LiveAbility Score 41.5/100, strongest in low hazard and job market.

Signature: BEA RPP 101.4 ranks #326 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 101.4 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,530/mo.

LiveAbility 41.5/100 puts Medford in the bottom third (#313 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Medford area is 82,860.

Medford vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

42 Top 81% higher than 19% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Medford housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Medford MSA; housing RPP 97.7 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,530/mo.

Studio

$1,055

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,229

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,530

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,128

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,514

/month

Medford wages and employment

Medford posts 82,860 total employment with median salary $67,561 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$67,561

Mean Salary

$70,421

Total Employment

82,860

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$34,140
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$44,950
Retail Salespersons	$35,840
Registered Nurses	$127,030
Cashiers	$34,390

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Medford area from NCES.

Schools

1,277

Enrollment

537,619

Student:Teacher

17.6:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Medford area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$12,639

per year

Toddler (Center)

$11,605

per year

Preschool (Center)

$9,385

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Medford's composite Life Score is 43.9/100 (F), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

16/100

Bottom decile

Wages

66/100

Strong

Rent

30/100

Weak

Crime

43/100

Below average

Schools

77/100

Strong

Childcare

24/100

Weak

Environment

65/100

Strong

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Medford ranks #313 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 41.5/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Low hazard (91/100)

Low hazard

91
Job market

66
Air quality

65
Safety

43
Housing

30
Schools

23
Cost of living

16
Climate

12

What this shows Medford's strongest dimensions are low hazard and job market; its weakest among scored dims is climate at 12/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Medford to

Boise City Boston-Cambridge-Newton Boulder Bowling Green Bozeman Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard

Metros near Medford on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Medford on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Medford cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Medford wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Medford?

Medford runs a $67,561 median salary at a 101.4 cost index, ranking #313 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Medford's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Medford head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Medford
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.