What is the cost of living in Salem?

Salem has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 103.6, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 110.3, which is above the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,560/month.

What is the median salary in Salem?

The median salary in Salem is $73,178 annually (mean: $75,992). Top occupations include Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons.

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

What are the schools like in Salem?

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 Salem?

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

Is Salem a good place to relocate?

Salem has a Life Score of 46.4/100 (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 Salem sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Salem ranks #278 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

Salem, OR

BEA RPP 103.6 ranks #349 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

103.6
Cost index (US=100): $1,560
2BR rent / mo: $73,178
Median salary: 45.4
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Salem ranks #278 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (45.4/100), with its strongest marks in air quality and low hazard.

#278
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 (10/100). 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), Salem ranks #278 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 103.6 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,560/mo, median salary $73,178; LiveAbility Score 45.4/100, strongest in air quality and low hazard.

Signature: BEA RPP 103.6 ranks #349 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 103.6 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,560/mo.

LiveAbility 45.4/100 puts Salem in the bottom third (#278 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Salem area is 179,820.

Salem 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)

45 Top 72% higher than 28% 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

Salem housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Salem MSA; housing RPP 110.3 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,560/mo.

Studio

$1,181

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,201

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,560

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,159

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,338

/month

Salem wages and employment

Salem posts 179,820 total employment with median salary $73,178 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$73,178

Mean Salary

$75,992

Total Employment

179,820

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$45,200
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$34,520
Retail Salespersons	$35,760
Registered Nurses	$131,750
Stockers and Order Fillers	$41,520

Schools & Education

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

Schools

1,277

Enrollment

537,619

Student:Teacher

17.6:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

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

Infant (Center)

$12,639

per year

Toddler (Center)

$11,605

per year

Preschool (Center)

$9,385

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Salem's composite Life Score is 46.4/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

10/100

Bottom decile

Wages

85/100

Elite

Rent

28/100

Weak

Crime

43/100

Below average

Schools

79/100

Strong

Childcare

24/100

Weak

Environment

66/100

Strong

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Salem ranks #278 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 45.4/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Air quality (91/100)

Air quality

91
Low hazard

91
Job market

85
Safety

43
Housing

28
Schools

21
Climate

12
Cost of living

10

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

Compare Salem to

Abilene Akron Albany Albany Albany-Schenectady-Troy Albuquerque

Metros near Salem on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Salem 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

Salem cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Salem 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 Salem?

Salem runs a $73,178 median salary at a 103.6 cost index, ranking #278 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

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