Moving to Oregon from Colorado
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Colorado to Oregon — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Colorado to Oregon, you would find that Oregon is 10.0% cheaper than Colorado. A $75,000 salary in Colorado would need to be roughly $64,946 in Oregon to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Colorado to Oregon.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $64,946
To maintain the same standard of living in Oregon
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 9.5% less
Groceries
pay 5.3% less
Transportation
pay 0.4% less
Housing
pay 13.6% less
Childcare
pay 19.0% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.1% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Oregon cost about 9% less than cities in Colorado.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Colorado to Oregon.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Oregon performs significantly better than Colorado across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Colorado generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Oregon leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Oregon generally does better on what about housing?, though Colorado leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Colorado generally does better on infrastructure, though Oregon leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Colorado performs better than Oregon across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Colorado generally does better on family life, though Oregon leads in life expectancy.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Denver | Salem |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/21°F (9°/-6°C) | 52°/36°F (11°/2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) | 68°/45°F (20°/7°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/55°F (29°/13°C) | 80°/51°F (27°/11°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 53°/26°F (12°/-3°C) | 54°/38°F (12°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Denver | Salem |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44°/17°F (6.7°/-8.1°C) | 48°/35°F (8.7°/1.5°C) |
| Feb | 46°/19°F (7.9°/-7.3°C) | 52°/35°F (10.9°/1.4°C) |
| Mar | 54°/26°F (12.4°/-3.1°C) | 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.9°C) |
| Apr | 62°/33°F (16.4°/0.7°C) | 61°/40°F (16.2°/4.2°C) |
| May | 71°/43°F (21.9°/5.9°C) | 68°/45°F (19.9°/7.1°C) |
| Jun | 82°/52°F (28.0°/11.3°C) | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.6°C) |
| Jul | 89°/59°F (31.9°/14.9°C) | 82°/53°F (27.8°/11.7°C) |
| Aug | 87°/58°F (30.7°/14.4°C) | 82°/53°F (28.0°/11.6°C) |
| Sep | 78°/48°F (25.8°/9.1°C) | 77°/48°F (24.9°/9.1°C) |
| Oct | 65°/37°F (18.5°/2.6°C) | 64°/42°F (17.8°/5.7°C) |
| Nov | 52°/24°F (11.2°/-4.2°C) | 53°/38°F (11.4°/3.6°C) |
| Dec | 43°/17°F (6.0°/-8.3°C) | 46°/34°F (7.9°/1.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Oregon than Colorado?
Yes — Oregon is on average about 13% cheaper than Colorado. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Oregon?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $16,236 in Oregon on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Oregon safe?
Oregon performs significantly better than Colorado across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Oregon compared to Colorado?
Colorado generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Oregon leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Oregon compared to Colorado?
The average high temperature in Salem is 64°F, compared to 65°F in Denver. Salem receives around 39.7 in of rainfall per year, while Denver gets 14.3 in.
