Moving to Oregon from United States
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from United States to Oregon — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from United States to Oregon, you would find that Oregon is 8.5% cheaper than United States overall. A $75,000 salary in United States would need to be roughly $59,092 in Oregon to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from United States to Oregon.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $59,092
To maintain the same standard of living in Oregon
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.8% less
Groceries
pay 7.6% less
Housing
pay 7.3% less
Childcare
pay 23.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.7% 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 26% less than cities in United States.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How United States and Oregon stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Oregon performs significantly better than United States across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
United States performs better than Oregon across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
United States generally does better on employment & economy, though Oregon leads in poverty rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
United States performs better than Oregon across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Washington | Salem |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) | 52°/36°F (11°/2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/51°F (24°/11°C) | 68°/45°F (20°/7°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/62°F (29°/17°C) | 80°/51°F (27°/11°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) | 54°/38°F (12°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Washington | Salem |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°/24°F (5.8°/-4.5°C) | 48°/35°F (8.7°/1.5°C) |
| Feb | 46°/26°F (8.0°/-3.3°C) | 52°/35°F (10.9°/1.4°C) |
| Mar | 56°/33°F (13.1°/0.5°C) | 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.9°C) |
| Apr | 67°/42°F (19.3°/5.6°C) | 61°/40°F (16.2°/4.2°C) |
| May | 75°/51°F (23.9°/10.7°C) | 68°/45°F (19.9°/7.1°C) |
| Jun | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.1°C) | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.6°C) |
| Jul | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.6°C) | 82°/53°F (27.8°/11.7°C) |
| Aug | 87°/64°F (30.3°/17.9°C) | 82°/53°F (28.0°/11.6°C) |
| Sep | 79°/56°F (26.3°/13.5°C) | 77°/48°F (24.9°/9.1°C) |
| Oct | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.6°C) | 64°/42°F (17.8°/5.7°C) |
| Nov | 58°/35°F (14.2°/1.8°C) | 53°/38°F (11.4°/3.6°C) |
| Dec | 46°/27°F (7.8°/-2.7°C) | 46°/34°F (7.9°/1.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Oregon than United States?
Generally yes: Oregon runs about 21% cheaper than United States on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Oregon?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $14,773 in Oregon for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Oregon?
Working remotely from Oregon's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in United States and Oregon.
How is healthcare in Oregon compared to United States?
Oregon performs significantly better than United States across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Oregon compared to United States?
The average high temperature in Salem is 64°F, compared to 66°F in Washington. Salem receives around 39.7 in of rainfall per year, while Washington gets 41.5 in.
What language do they speak in Oregon?
Both United States and Oregon share the same official language: English.
