Moving to Oregon from New Jersey
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from New Jersey to Oregon — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from New Jersey to Oregon, you would find that Oregon is 19.0% cheaper than New Jersey. A $75,000 salary in New Jersey would need to be roughly $60,700 in Oregon to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Portland averages 56°F vs 67°F in Newark, making it significantly cooler. Newark and Portland are about 2,450 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Oregon? Get a shortlist of towns in Oregon that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Oregon cheaper than New Jersey?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 5.5% less
Groceries
pay 17.9% less
Transportation
pay 11.3% less
Housing
pay 25.3% less
Childcare
pay 37.3% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.1% 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.
What salary do you need in Oregon?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $60,700
To maintain the same standard of living in Oregon
Calculate with your salary →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 17% less than cities in New Jersey.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from New Jersey to Oregon.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
New Jersey performs better than Oregon 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
New Jersey 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
New Jersey generally does better on what about housing?, though Oregon leads in median rent.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
New Jersey 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
New Jersey 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
New Jersey generally does better on family life, though Oregon leads in life expectancy.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Oregon vs New Jersey
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Newark | Portland |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/27°F (9°/-2°C) | 36°/18°F (2°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 76°/51°F (24°/11°C) | 63°/44°F (17°/7°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) | 76°/56°F (24°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 58°/36°F (14°/2°C) | 48°/30°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Newark | Portland |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°/24°F (5.6°/-4.4°C) | 31°/13°F (-0.4°/-10.3°C) |
| Feb | 46°/26°F (7.7°/-3.2°C) | 35°/16°F (1.4°/-8.7°C) |
| Mar | 55°/32°F (12.7°/0.2°C) | 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.9°C) |
| Apr | 67°/42°F (19.4°/5.3°C) | 53°/35°F (11.8°/1.5°C) |
| May | 76°/51°F (24.6°/10.7°C) | 64°/44°F (17.5°/6.8°C) |
| Jun | 85°/61°F (29.5°/16.3°C) | 73°/54°F (22.9°/12.0°C) |
| Jul | 88°/66°F (31.2°/18.8°C) | 79°/59°F (26.0°/15.2°C) |
| Aug | 87°/65°F (30.4°/18.1°C) | 78°/58°F (25.4°/14.6°C) |
| Sep | 80°/57°F (26.5°/14.0°C) | 70°/50°F (21.1°/10.2°C) |
| Oct | 69°/45°F (20.4°/7.3°C) | 59°/39°F (14.8°/3.8°C) |
| Nov | 58°/36°F (14.2°/2.4°C) | 48°/31°F (8.9°/-0.6°C) |
| Dec | 46°/28°F (7.8°/-2.2°C) | 37°/20°F (2.9°/-6.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Oregon than New Jersey?
Yes — Oregon is on average about 19% cheaper than New Jersey. 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 $15,175 in Oregon on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Oregon safe?
New Jersey performs better than Oregon across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Oregon compared to New Jersey?
New Jersey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Oregon leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Oregon compared to New Jersey?
The average high temperature in Portland is 56°F, compared to 67°F in Newark. Portland receives around 47.2 in of rainfall per year, while Newark gets 46.2 in.
