Cost of living comparison
compared to
Portland vs. New Jersey Cost of Living Summary
Portland is 2.0% more expensive than New Jersey.
- Restaurants
-
pay 14.0% more in Portland
- Groceries
-
pay 2.1% less in Portland
- Transportation
-
pay 17.2% less in Portland
- Housing
-
pay 15.0% more in Portland
- Childcare
-
pay 18.5% less in Portland
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.0% more in Portland
- Clothing
-
pay 17.0% more in Portland
The cost of clothing, housing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in Portland are more expensive than in New Jersey. Expenses including childcare, transportation, and groceries are lower in Portland.
Portland vs. New Jersey Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Portland instead of New Jersey, you would:
pay 14.0% more for restaurants
|
New Jersey
|
Portland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.95
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.40
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.60
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.04
|
$2.38
|
|
New Jersey vs. Portland - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.1% less for groceries
|
New Jersey
|
Portland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.17
|
$3.88
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.09
|
$9.55
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.24
|
$4.17
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.96
|
$5.01
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.76
|
$2.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$1.72
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$2.76
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.44
|
$2.50
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.60
|
$1.62
|
|
New Jersey vs. Portland - Cost of groceries
pay 17.2% less for transportation
|
New Jersey
|
Portland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.24
|
$3.18
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$116.02
|
$60.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,841.50
|
$35,531.35
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.75
|
$14.43
|
|
New Jersey vs. Portland - Cost of transportation
pay 15.0% more for housing
|
New Jersey
|
Portland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.68
|
$82.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,279.92
|
$2,142.86
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,885.98
|
$1,583.33
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$126.74
|
$191.18
|
|
New Jersey vs. Portland - Cost of housing
pay 18.5% less for childcare
|
New Jersey
|
Portland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,023.96
|
$828.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,267.62
|
$33,333.33
|
|
New Jersey vs. Portland - Cost of childcare
pay 6.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
New Jersey
|
Portland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.95
|
$7.25
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.20
|
$6.25
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.79
|
$12.52
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$52.90
|
$65.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.52
|
$14.00
|
|
New Jersey vs. Portland - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.0% more for clothing
|
New Jersey
|
Portland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.64
|
$49.25
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$49.26
|
$80.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.28
|
$122.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$136.81
|
$133.00
|
|
New Jersey vs. Portland - 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 Portland or New Jersey. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.