Suppose real estate is the most significant investment a majority of people make in their lifetime. In that case, it’s best to understand the places in Oregon with best potential return on investment.
After working in real estate adjacent roles for over a decade, I had the hypothesis that the best place to buy for a return on investment would be up-and-coming cities. Smaller cities where crime might be high now, but people still move to.
To test my hypothesis, we are going to look at places in Oregon that are growing faster than average, but where home prices are below average, and crime rates are higher than average.
In everyday terms, these might be “deals”. The best deal in Oregon at the moment according to Saturday Night Science? That would be Estacada.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The methodology that wen’t into this can be a bit complicated, so we’ll break it down for you in as much detail as we can below.
For more Oregon reading:
- Best Counties To Live In Oregon
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Oregon
- Best Places To Retire In Oregon
The 10 Best Cities To Buy A House In Oregon For 2026
/10
Population: 5,152
Median Home Price: $540,538
Population Change: 5.6%
Home Price Change: -1.2%
More on Estacada: Data | Movers
/10
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Population: 5,200
Median Home Price: $435,477
Population Change: 0.2%
Home Price Change: -0.3%
More on Veneta: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,642
Median Home Price: $518,378
Population Change: 1.9%
Home Price Change: -0.2%
More on Philomath: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,218
Median Home Price: $459,170
Population Change: -0.2%
Home Price Change: -0.8%
More on Tillamook: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 5,690
Median Home Price: $313,138
Population Change: 0.5%
Home Price Change: 0.8%
More on Winston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,621
Median Home Price: $468,603
Population Change: -0.1%
Home Price Change: 0.2%
More on Creswell: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 6,327
Median Home Price: $498,702
Population Change: 0.5%
Home Price Change: 0.3%
More on Warrenton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 6,339
Median Home Price: $402,546
Population Change: -1.9%
Home Price Change: 2.0%
More on Sheridan: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 6,947
Median Home Price: $478,165
Population Change: 0.3%
Home Price Change: -1.4%
More on Junction City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in Oregon for 2026?
We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for another 11. Suffice it to say we’ve put a lot of thought into finding an excellent place to buy a home.
So all that thinking has come to this moment where we get to spell out how we’d approach finding an up-and-coming place to live in Oregon. Put differently, the analysis will try to find places in Oregon with undervalued homes relative to pent-up demand using Saturday Night Science.
To do that, we looked at the most recent American Community Survey Census data for 2020-2024 and compared it to the previous vintage. Specifically, we used the following criteria:
- Y-o-Y Change In Population (People want to live here)
- Y-o-Y Change In Median Home Prices (People are willing to pay for it)
- Home Prices Relative To The State Average (It’s still kinda cheap)
We want places that are growing, have seen home prices increase in recent years, and are still “cheap” for Oregon with the following caveats:
- Home prices had to be within 20% of the state average (Much lower than that, and you get to some of the more dangerous places)
- Home prices increased in the last year, and
- Above 5,000 people (Bigger cities have more data points)
So of the 0 cities and towns in Oregon, only 80 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.
We then ranked each place from 1 to 80 for the above criteria, with 1 being the best. We averaged the rankings to create a “best place to buy” index, with the place having the lowest index being the best.
Turns out that Estacada is the best potential gem in the not-so-rough in the Beaver State.
Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In Oregon for 2026
There’s our analysis of the best places to buy a house in Oregon. And, to be clear, we aren’t necessarily saying these places are the best places to live, just that it looks like they might be in a couple of years based on the data.
In fact, every place in the following table meets our criteria, so even though it may not look super long, remember we started off with all 0 places in the state.
The best cities to buy a house in Oregon are Estacada, King City, Veneta, Philomath, Tillamook, Winston, Creswell, Warrenton, Sheridan, and Junction City.
So if we’d could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy.
For more Oregon reading, check out:
Best Places To Buy A Home In Oregon
| Rank | City | Population | Median Home Price | Population Change | Home Price Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Estacada | 5,152 | $540,538 | 5.6% | -1.2% |
| 2 | King City | 5,073 | $464,245 | -0.1% | -2.1% |
| 3 | Veneta | 5,200 | $435,477 | 0.2% | -0.3% |
| 4 | Philomath | 5,642 | $518,378 | 1.9% | -0.2% |
| 5 | Tillamook | 5,218 | $459,170 | -0.2% | -0.8% |
| 6 | Winston | 5,690 | $313,138 | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| 7 | Creswell | 5,621 | $468,603 | -0.1% | 0.2% |
| 8 | Warrenton | 6,327 | $498,702 | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| 9 | Sheridan | 6,339 | $402,546 | -1.9% | 2.0% |
| 10 | Junction City | 6,947 | $478,165 | 0.3% | -1.4% |
| 11 | Brookings | 6,703 | $477,228 | -0.4% | 0.8% |
| 12 | Talent | 6,254 | $430,817 | -0.3% | 1.8% |
| 13 | Seaside | 7,192 | $465,275 | -0.2% | -0.6% |
| 14 | Madras | 7,676 | $358,033 | 1.1% | 0.0% |
| 15 | Milton-Freewater | 7,036 | $250,755 | -0.8% | 9.4% |
| 16 | Umatilla | 7,508 | $291,017 | -0.3% | 0.8% |
| 17 | Scappoose | 8,179 | $489,282 | 1.0% | -0.2% |
| 18 | Hood River | 8,361 | $712,509 | 0.0% | 2.0% |
| 19 | Sutherlin | 8,599 | $345,331 | 0.3% | 0.9% |
| 20 | Stayton | 8,292 | $463,064 | 0.8% | 1.9% |
| 21 | Lincoln City | 9,968 | $491,268 | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| 22 | Florence | 9,482 | $435,247 | -0.0% | -0.3% |
| 23 | Molalla | 10,186 | $497,975 | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| 24 | Eagle Point | 9,839 | $470,636 | 0.6% | 0.4% |
| 25 | Fairview | 10,735 | $479,771 | 1.0% | 1.9% |
| 26 | North Bend | 10,171 | $355,605 | -0.6% | -1.1% |
| 27 | Sweet Home | 10,078 | $350,175 | 1.0% | -0.4% |
| 28 | Baker City | 10,210 | $264,325 | 0.3% | -1.7% |
| 29 | Astoria | 10,109 | $474,605 | -0.5% | -0.7% |
| 30 | Independence | 10,199 | $425,945 | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| 31 | Cottage Grove | 10,698 | $395,746 | 0.6% | -0.4% |
| 32 | Monmouth | 11,428 | $473,961 | 2.3% | 0.6% |
| 33 | Silverton | 10,456 | $546,989 | 0.1% | -0.4% |
| 34 | Prineville | 11,470 | $425,758 | 2.5% | -0.3% |
| 35 | Newport | 10,583 | $445,960 | 1.8% | -2.7% |
| 36 | Ontario | 11,842 | $305,608 | 1.0% | 0.7% |
| 37 | Sandy | 12,854 | $523,759 | 0.9% | 1.5% |
| 38 | Gladstone | 11,977 | $517,792 | -0.1% | 0.9% |
| 39 | Cornelius | 14,255 | $485,774 | 4.1% | 0.0% |
| 40 | La Grande | 13,058 | $298,759 | -0.0% | 2.3% |
| 41 | St. Helens | 14,258 | $425,039 | 0.7% | -0.3% |
| 42 | The Dalles | 15,917 | $389,438 | -0.4% | -0.2% |
| 43 | Coos Bay | 15,925 | $323,164 | 0.4% | -0.3% |
| 44 | Troutdale | 15,923 | $492,004 | -0.5% | 2.0% |
| 45 | Dallas | 17,531 | $474,062 | 1.8% | 0.1% |
| 46 | Pendleton | 16,950 | $295,556 | -0.7% | -0.4% |
| 47 | Lebanon | 19,344 | $391,198 | 1.9% | -0.0% |
| 48 | Hermiston | 19,546 | $339,211 | 0.7% | -1.6% |
| 49 | Canby | 18,134 | $590,607 | 0.2% | -0.2% |
| 50 | Central Point | 19,216 | $418,192 | 0.2% | 1.6% |
| 51 | Sherwood | 20,307 | $633,004 | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| 52 | Milwaukie | 21,392 | $519,433 | 0.6% | 2.7% |
| 53 | Ashland | 21,259 | $551,385 | -0.4% | 1.6% |
| 54 | Klamath Falls | 22,115 | $308,370 | 1.1% | 1.0% |
| 55 | Happy Valley | 26,738 | $681,241 | 4.6% | -0.6% |
| 56 | Roseburg | 23,778 | $361,700 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 57 | Newberg | 26,066 | $530,484 | 1.7% | 0.4% |
| 58 | Wilsonville | 26,974 | $635,208 | 3.0% | 0.2% |
| 59 | Forest Grove | 26,529 | $525,622 | 0.5% | -0.3% |
| 60 | Woodburn | 27,875 | $425,247 | 3.8% | 0.4% |
| 61 | West Linn | 26,935 | $777,228 | -0.5% | 1.5% |
| 62 | Tualatin | 27,763 | $638,736 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 63 | Redmond | 36,092 | $514,637 | 2.6% | 0.5% |
| 64 | Mcminnville | 34,596 | $484,841 | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 65 | Oregon City | 37,755 | $603,703 | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| 66 | Grants Pass | 39,311 | $398,231 | 0.3% | -0.6% |
| 67 | Keizer | 39,082 | $450,014 | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| 68 | Lake Oswego | 40,381 | $882,924 | 0.0% | 1.0% |
| 69 | Tigard | 56,011 | $608,407 | 1.1% | 0.3% |
| 70 | Albany | 56,839 | $435,935 | 0.1% | 0.7% |
| 71 | Corvallis | 59,960 | $555,988 | -0.8% | 0.1% |
| 72 | Springfield | 61,499 | $414,617 | -0.2% | 0.8% |
| 73 | Medford | 86,315 | $406,688 | 0.6% | 1.3% |
| 74 | Bend | 103,390 | $732,649 | 1.9% | -0.1% |
| 75 | Beaverton | 97,812 | $530,794 | 0.3% | -0.1% |
| 76 | Hillsboro | 108,231 | $522,557 | 1.1% | -0.3% |
| 77 | Gresham | 112,378 | $471,181 | -0.4% | 1.5% |
| 78 | Eugene | 179,591 | $473,231 | 1.2% | 0.5% |
| 79 | Salem | 178,865 | $436,317 | 1.2% | 1.2% |
| 80 | Portland | 641,165 | $534,638 | -0.2% | 1.9% |