Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro to Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 105.4 to 103.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $83/mo.

-$6,029
BLS median salary lower in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
335 to 429
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.2:1 to 17.2:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$1,338
DOL infant care lower / yr in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 105.4 → 103.3
Rent Delta: -$83/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $83/mo cheaper rent (2BR)

Cons of Moving

  • - $6K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 105.4 to 103.3 (ratio 0.98), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $83/mo ($996/yr) from $1,922 in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro to $1,839 in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler sits #357 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro is #231/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $6,029 lower ($79,572 → $73,543). Labor-market size: 1,180,420 tracked jobs at origin vs 2,342,930 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Arizona scores 53 (D, #37/51) vs Oregon at 41 (F, #49/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 105.4
RPP 103.3
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
Rent (2BR)
$1,922/mo
$1,839/mo
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
Wages
$79,572
$73,543
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro
Crime
335 per 100K
429 per 100K
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro
Schools
17.2:1
17.2:1
Tie
Childcare
$12,639/yr
$11,301/yr
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
Environment
2683 violations
5259 violations
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Oregon
41 F #49/51
Income tax
62
Property tax
64
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
14
Destination state · Arizona
53 D #37/51
Income tax
82
Property tax
80
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
22

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro to see what you'd need to earn in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
-

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026