Moving to Oregon from Utah
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Utah to Oregon — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Utah to Oregon, you would find that Oregon is 5.5% more expensive than Utah. A $75,000 salary in Utah would need to be roughly $79,100 in Oregon to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Utah to Oregon.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $79,100
To maintain the same standard of living in Oregon
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 6.8% more
Groceries
pay 10.7% more
Transportation
pay 6.3% less
Housing
pay 11.4% more
Childcare
pay 6.1% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.4% more
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 7% more than cities in Utah.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Utah to Oregon.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Utah 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
Oregon generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Utah leads in adult smoking rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Utah generally does better on what about housing?, though Oregon leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Utah 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
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Utah 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
Oregon performs significantly better than Utah across all family life metrics.
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
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Salt Lake City | Salem |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 45°/27°F (7°/-3°C) | 52°/36°F (11°/2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) | 68°/45°F (20°/7°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 87°/60°F (31°/16°C) | 80°/51°F (27°/11°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/32°F (10°/0°C) | 54°/38°F (12°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Salt Lake City | Salem |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37°/22°F (3.0°/-5.8°C) | 48°/35°F (8.7°/1.5°C) |
| Feb | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-3.8°C) | 52°/35°F (10.9°/1.4°C) |
| Mar | 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C) | 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.9°C) |
| Apr | 62°/40°F (16.4°/4.2°C) | 61°/40°F (16.2°/4.2°C) |
| May | 72°/48°F (22.2°/8.8°C) | 68°/45°F (19.9°/7.1°C) |
| Jun | 83°/56°F (28.3°/13.6°C) | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.6°C) |
| Jul | 93°/65°F (33.7°/18.2°C) | 82°/53°F (27.8°/11.7°C) |
| Aug | 90°/63°F (32.5°/17.4°C) | 82°/53°F (28.0°/11.6°C) |
| Sep | 79°/53°F (26.2°/11.7°C) | 77°/48°F (24.9°/9.1°C) |
| Oct | 65°/41°F (18.2°/5.2°C) | 64°/42°F (17.8°/5.7°C) |
| Nov | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.8°C) | 53°/38°F (11.4°/3.6°C) |
| Dec | 38°/23°F (3.3°/-5.2°C) | 46°/34°F (7.9°/1.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Oregon than Utah?
No — Oregon is on average about 5% more expensive than Utah. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Oregon?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $19,775 in Oregon on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Oregon safe?
Utah performs better than Oregon across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Oregon compared to Utah?
Oregon generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Utah leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Oregon compared to Utah?
The average high temperature in Salem is 64°F, compared to 64°F in Salt Lake City. Salem receives around 39.7 in of rainfall per year, while Salt Lake City gets 16.1 in.
