What is the cost of living in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro?

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 105.4, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 125.1, which is above the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,922/month.

What is the median salary in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro?

The median salary in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro is $79,572 annually (mean: $83,326). Top occupations include Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Stockers and Order Fillers.

How safe is Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro?

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

What are the schools like in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro?

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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro?

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

Is Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro a good place to relocate?

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro has a Life Score of 45.1/100 (D), 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 middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro ranks #231 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

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

BEA RPP 105.4 ranks #361 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

105.4
Cost index (US=100): $1,922
2BR rent / mo: $79,572
Median salary: 48.9
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro ranks #231 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (48.9/100), with its strongest marks in job market and low hazard.

#231
of 387 US metros · Near median: 4,272,371
metro-area population: 335
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 1,277
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: cost of living (7/100). 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), Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro ranks #231 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 105.4 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,922/mo, median salary $79,572; LiveAbility Score 48.9/100, strongest in job market and low hazard.

Signature: BEA RPP 105.4 ranks #361 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 105.4 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,922/mo.

LiveAbility 48.9/100 keeps Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro in the middle third (#231 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro area is 1,180,420.

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 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)

49 Top 60% higher than 40% 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

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro MSA; housing RPP 125.1 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,922/mo.

Studio

$1,570

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,677

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,922

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,619

/month

4 Bedroom

$3,109

/month

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro wages and employment

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro posts 1,180,420 total employment with median salary $79,572 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$79,572

Mean Salary

$83,326

Total Employment

1,180,420

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$35,620
Retail Salespersons	$37,340
Stockers and Order Fillers	$44,440
Registered Nurses	$130,310
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$45,570

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro area from NCES.

Schools

1,277

Enrollment

537,619

Student:Teacher

17.6:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$12,639

per year

Toddler (Center)

$11,605

per year

Preschool (Center)

$9,385

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro's composite Life Score is 45.1/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

7/100

Bottom decile

Wages

94/100

Elite

Rent

11/100

Bottom decile

Crime

43/100

Below average

Schools

79/100

Strong

Childcare

24/100

Weak

Environment

66/100

Strong

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro ranks #231 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 48.9/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Job market (94/100)

Job market

94
Low hazard

91
Climate

90
Air quality

80
Safety

43
Schools

21
Housing

11
Cost of living

7

What this shows Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro's strongest dimensions are job market and low hazard; its weakest among scored dims is cost of living at 7/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro to

Bozeman Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury Brownsville-Harlingen Brunswick-St. Simons Buffalo-Cheektowaga

Metros near Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 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

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro?

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro runs a $79,572 median salary at a 105.4 cost index, ranking #231 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro
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.