Moving to Massachusetts from Oregon

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Oregon to Massachusetts — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Oregon to Massachusetts, you would find that Massachusetts is 22.0% more expensive than Oregon. A $75,000 salary in Oregon would need to be roughly $92,902 in Massachusetts to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Oregon to Massachusetts.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $92,902

To maintain the same standard of living in Massachusetts

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 10.1% more

Groceries

pay 15.1% more

Transportation

pay 0.7% more

Housing

pay 28.1% more

Childcare

pay 73.2% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 19.3% more

See full cost of living breakdown

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 Massachusetts cost about 24% more than cities in Oregon.

Oregon

Portland 68%
Beaverton 66%
Bend 66%

Massachusetts

Cambridge 85%
Worcester 73%

Compare cities head-to-head

Key Indicator Comparison

How Oregon and Massachusetts stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

OR
323
MA
308
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

OR
2566
MA
1077

Massachusetts performs significantly better than Oregon across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

OR
6.1%
MA
2.6%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

OR
31.9%
MA
28.8%

Massachusetts performs significantly better than Oregon across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

OR
$454,200
MA
$525,800
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

OR
$1,450
MA
$1,687

Oregon performs better than Massachusetts across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

OR
91.8%
MA
91.9%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

OR
23 min
MA
29 min

Oregon generally does better on infrastructure, though Massachusetts leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

OR
5.1%
MA
4.7%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

OR
$61,622
MA
$87,892

Massachusetts performs significantly better than Oregon across all employment & economy metrics.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

OR
78.8 yrs
MA
79.0 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

OR
26%
MA
32%

Massachusetts performs significantly better than Oregon across all family life metrics.

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.

Salem Rain: 39.7 in/yr (1008 mm)
64° / 42°F

Avg. annual high / low

Boston Rain: 43.8 in/yr (1112 mm)
59° / 44°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Salem Boston
Jan–Mar 52°/36°F (11°/2°C) 40°/26°F (4°/-3°C)
Apr–Jun 68°/45°F (20°/7°C) 66°/50°F (19°/10°C)
Jul–Sep 80°/51°F (27°/11°C) 78°/62°F (25°/17°C)
Oct–Dec 54°/38°F (12°/3°C) 51°/38°F (11°/3°C)
View all months
Month Salem Boston
Jan 48°/35°F (8.7°/1.5°C) 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.4°C)
Feb 52°/35°F (10.9°/1.4°C) 39°/25°F (3.7°/-4.1°C)
Mar 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.9°C) 45°/31°F (7.4°/-0.5°C)
Apr 61°/40°F (16.2°/4.2°C) 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C)
May 68°/45°F (19.9°/7.1°C) 66°/50°F (18.9°/9.9°C)
Jun 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.6°C) 76°/60°F (24.4°/15.3°C)
Jul 82°/53°F (27.8°/11.7°C) 81°/65°F (27.4°/18.6°C)
Aug 82°/53°F (28.0°/11.6°C) 80°/65°F (26.4°/18.1°C)
Sep 77°/48°F (24.9°/9.1°C) 72°/57°F (22.4°/14.1°C)
Oct 64°/42°F (17.8°/5.7°C) 61°/47°F (16.3°/8.1°C)
Nov 53°/38°F (11.4°/3.6°C) 51°/38°F (10.8°/3.3°C)
Dec 46°/34°F (7.9°/1.1°C) 41°/28°F (5.1°/-2.1°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Massachusetts than Oregon?

Day-to-day costs in Massachusetts run about 24% higher than Oregon on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Massachusetts?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $23,226 in Massachusetts for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Massachusetts safe?

Massachusetts performs significantly better than Oregon across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Massachusetts compared to Oregon?

Massachusetts performs significantly better than Oregon across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What's the weather like in Massachusetts compared to Oregon?

The average high temperature in Boston is 59°F, compared to 64°F in Salem. Boston receives around 43.8 in of rainfall per year, while Salem gets 39.7 in.

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