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Everyone wants a home that mixes affordability with comfort and Oregon does this very well. Families love the Beaver State's beaches, midlands, and mountains as tourists before moving here and calling it home.
But before you decide to relocate, you have to do some research into the exact cost of living around the state -- and that's how we're going to help you.
These are the places in Oregon that cost a pretty penny -- the most expensive cities in the state.
After we saved up for months and could finally afford it, we landed on this list of the ten most expensive cities in Oregon for 2022.
So where is the most expensive place to live in Oregon? That would be Corvallis.
the 2016-2020 American Community Survey for the 76 places in Oregon with more than 5,000 people.
Here are the 10 most expensive places to live in Oregon for 2022:
What's the most expensive place to live in Oregon? Well, HomeSnacks crunched the numbers and discovered that Corvallis is the most expensive place to live in Oregon.
So hopefully Hermiston (the cheapest place to live in Oregon) can show these guys how to live on a budget in the coming years. Read on for how these places had costs rise faster than inflation.
And if you already knew these places were expensive, check out some more reading about Oregon and the most expensive cities in the country:
The 10 Most Expensive Places To Live In Oregon For 2022
1. Corvallis
/10
Population: 58,612
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.5x (3rd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 47.6x (10th most expensive)
More on Corvallis: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Corvallis comes in at $55,390 and the median home value is $361,800 for 2022.
2. Seaside
/10
Population: 6,811
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 7.6x (2nd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 44.5x (3rd most expensive)
More on Seaside: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Seaside comes in at $41,625 and the median home value is $317,700 for 2022.
3. Ashland
/10
Population: 21,138
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 8.0x (most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 52.9x (27th most expensive)
More on Ashland: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Ashland comes in at $58,364 and the median home value is $469,400 for 2022.
4. Wilsonville
/10
Population: 24,413
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.1x (6th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 51.3x (22nd most expensive)
More on Wilsonville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Wilsonville comes in at $72,541 and the median home value is $441,800 for 2022.
5. Bend
/10
Population: 97,032
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.1x (5th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 49.5x (19th most expensive)
More on Bend: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Bend comes in at $67,973 and the median home value is $415,100 for 2022.
6. Portland
/10
Population: 650,380
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 4)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.0x (7th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 55.2x (35th most expensive)
More on Portland: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Portland comes in at $73,159 and the median home value is $438,500 for 2022.
7. Gresham
/10
Population: 110,456
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.5x (16th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 47.2x (9th most expensive)
More on Gresham: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Gresham comes in at $58,250 and the median home value is $318,300 for 2022.
8. Eugene
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/10
Population: 170,457
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.8x (9th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 49.0x (13th most expensive)
More on Eugene: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Eugene comes in at $52,689 and the median home value is $304,500 for 2022.
9. Hood River
/10
Population: 7,745
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.9x (8th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 55.8x (37th most expensive)
More on Hood River: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Hood River comes in at $65,567 and the median home value is $385,900 for 2022.
10. Talent
/10
Population: 6,553
Rank Last Year: 16 (Up 6)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.2x (4th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 32.7x (most expensive)
More on Talent: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Talent comes in at $36,051 and the median home value is $222,900 for 2022.
Methodology: How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Beaver State For 2022
The two most important things to think about when it comes to being able to afford if you can live comes down to:
- How much do money do I make?
- How much do I have spend to live there?
You need to understand your costs in the context of how much money you make.
For example, if the median household earns $100,000 and spends $40,000 on housing it's actually cheaper to live there than a place with a median income of $50,000 and housing costs of $21,000. You might spend more on housing, but you have more money overall to play with.
With that example in mind, we derived several statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2016-2020 around incomes and costs. They are:
- Median Home Price / Median Income (lower is better)
- Median Income / Median Rent (Higher is better)
- Median Home Price
We added simply median home price because high home prices generally correlate with higher expenses for all costs related to homes (heating, electricity, etc).
You can then compare these metrics in each of the places in Oregon to figure out which is the most expensive.
What you are left with is a "Cost of Living Index" by taking the average rank of each of these metrics for each city.
So we used that cost of living index in order to rank all of the 76 places in Oregon that have more than 5,000 people.
The place with the highest cost of living in Oregon according to the data is Corvallis. You can download the data here.
Summary: Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck In Oregon For 2022
Well there you have it, the places in Oregon that have the highest cost of living, with Corvallis ranking as the most expensive city in the Beaver State.
Here's a look at the most affordable cities in Oregon according to the data:
- Hermiston
- Milton-Freewater
- Baker City
For more Oregon reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Oregon
- Cheapest Places To Live In Oregon
- Most Dangerous Cities In Oregon
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Oregon
- Safest Places In Oregon
- Worst Places To Live In Oregon
Detailed List Of The Most Expensive Cities In Oregon
| Rank | City | ExpensiveScore |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corvallis | 9.33 |
| 2 | Seaside | 10.33 |
| 3 | Ashland | 10.67 |
| 4 | Wilsonville | 11.33 |
| 5 | Bend | 11.33 |
| 6 | Portland | 16.33 |
| 7 | Gresham | 16.67 |
| 8 | Eugene | 17.17 |
| 9 | Hood River | 19.0 |
| 10 | Talent | 20.33 |
| 11 | Gladstone | 21.0 |
| 12 | Monmouth | 21.67 |
| 13 | Beaverton | 21.67 |
| 14 | Lincoln City | 22.0 |
| 15 | Fairview | 23.33 |
| 16 | Grants Pass | 24.67 |
| 17 | Medford | 24.67 |
| 18 | Lake Oswego | 25.33 |
| 19 | Newport | 26.33 |
| 20 | Milwaukie | 26.33 |
| 21 | Mcminnville | 27.0 |
| 22 | Florence | 29.0 |
| 23 | Astoria | 29.33 |
| 24 | Tigard | 30.67 |
| 25 | Forest Grove | 31.33 |
| 26 | Madras | 31.67 |
| 27 | Oregon City | 32.33 |
| 28 | Newberg | 32.33 |
| 29 | Tualatin | 32.33 |
| 30 | Hillsboro | 32.67 |
| 31 | Brookings | 33.33 |
| 32 | Prineville | 34.33 |
| 33 | Canby | 35.0 |
| 34 | Woodburn | 35.67 |
| 35 | Molalla | 37.33 |
| 36 | Cornelius | 37.67 |
| 37 | Salem | 38.0 |
| 38 | Springfield | 38.67 |
| 39 | Lebanon | 39.0 |
| 40 | West Linn | 39.33 |
| 41 | Redmond | 39.67 |
| 42 | Silverton | 40.67 |
| 43 | Keizer | 41.33 |
| 44 | Independence | 42.17 |
| 45 | Roseburg | 42.67 |
| 46 | Happy Valley | 43.0 |
| 47 | Warrenton | 44.33 |
| 48 | Tillamook | 45.67 |
| 49 | Sherwood | 45.67 |
| 50 | Klamath Falls | 46.0 |
| 51 | Winston | 46.33 |
| 52 | Stayton | 47.67 |
| 53 | Scappoose | 48.5 |
| 54 | Dallas | 48.67 |
| 55 | Troutdale | 49.0 |
| 56 | Sandy | 49.33 |
| 57 | St. Helens | 50.67 |
| 58 | Sweet Home | 51.0 |
| 59 | Sutherlin | 53.67 |
| 60 | Albany | 53.67 |
| 61 | Cottage Grove | 53.83 |
| 62 | Central Point | 54.33 |
| 63 | Coos Bay | 54.67 |
| 64 | Eagle Point | 55.0 |
| 65 | La Grande | 55.0 |
| 66 | Sheridan | 59.33 |
| 67 | The Dalles | 59.83 |
| 68 | Ontario | 60.67 |
| 69 | Creswell | 62.33 |
| 70 | Junction City | 63.0 |
| 71 | North Bend | 64.0 |
| 72 | Pendleton | 69.0 |
| 73 | Umatilla | 69.33 |
| 74 | Baker City | 71.33 |
| 75 | Milton-Freewater | 72.33 |
| 76 | Hermiston | 75.0 |