Cost of living comparison
compared to
Oregon vs. California Cost of Living Summary
Oregon is 17.8% cheaper than California.
- Restaurants
-
pay 11.9% less in Oregon
- Groceries
-
pay 15.3% less in Oregon
- Transportation
-
pay 9.8% less in Oregon
- Housing
-
pay 23.6% less in Oregon
- Childcare
-
pay 37.5% less in Oregon
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 17.2% less in Oregon
- Clothing
-
pay 9.5% less in Oregon
Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, restaurants, and transportation are lower in Oregon.
Oregon vs. California Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Oregon instead of California, you would:
pay 11.9% less for restaurants
|
California
|
Oregon
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.84
|
$19.31
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.33
|
$11.08
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$2.50
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$1.84
|
|
California vs. Oregon - Cost of restaurants
pay 15.3% less for groceries
|
California
|
Oregon
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.20
|
$3.92
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.77
|
$6.86
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.73
|
$4.07
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.14
|
$4.07
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.05
|
$5.35
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.30
|
$2.05
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.73
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$1.82
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$1.73
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$1.17
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$0.98
|
|
California vs. Oregon - Cost of groceries
pay 9.8% less for transportation
|
California
|
Oregon
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.72
|
$3.89
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$63.04
|
$58.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,529.84
|
$31,435.95
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.43
|
$17.64
|
|
California vs. Oregon - Cost of transportation
pay 23.6% less for housing
|
California
|
Oregon
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.96
|
$68.16
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,385.40
|
$1,491.85
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,043.56
|
$1,310.02
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.94
|
$135.02
|
|
California vs. Oregon - Cost of housing
pay 37.5% less for childcare
|
California
|
Oregon
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,633.13
|
$1,257.97
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,339.97
|
$14,572.28
|
|
California vs. Oregon - Cost of childcare
pay 17.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
Oregon
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.31
|
$5.92
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.58
|
$4.87
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.92
|
$10.30
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$68.02
|
$46.28
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$12.50
|
|
California vs. Oregon - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.5% less for clothing
|
California
|
Oregon
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.47
|
$50.56
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.47
|
$38.57
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.50
|
$85.71
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.94
|
$95.07
|
|
California vs. Oregon - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Oregon or California. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.