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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 2023.
So where is the most expensive place to live in Oregon? That would be Bend.
the 2017-2021 American Community Survey for the 77 places in Oregon with more than 5,000 people.
Here are the 10 most expensive places to live in Oregon for 2023:
What's the most expensive place to live in Oregon? Well, HomeSnacks crunched the numbers and discovered that Bend is the most expensive place to live in Oregon.
So hopefully Milton-Freewater (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 2023
1. Bend
/10
Population: 97,042
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 3)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.2x (5th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 48.5x (11th most expensive)
More on Bend: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Bend comes in at $74,253 and the median home value is $462,400 for 2023.
2. Corvallis
/10
Population: 59,407
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.6x (3rd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 48.4x (10th most expensive)
More on Corvallis: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Corvallis comes in at $58,315 and the median home value is $387,200 for 2023.
3. Seaside
/10
Population: 7,058
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 8.2x (most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 44.7x (2nd most expensive)
More on Seaside: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Seaside comes in at $41,488 and the median home value is $339,600 for 2023.
4. Wilsonville
/10
Population: 25,887
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.9x (8th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 50.9x (20th most expensive)
More on Wilsonville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Wilsonville comes in at $78,508 and the median home value is $464,100 for 2023.
5. Ashland
/10
Population: 21,348
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 7.8x (2nd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 54.2x (3most expensive)
More on Ashland: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Ashland comes in at $63,641 and the median home value is $494,700 for 2023.
6. Gresham
/10
Population: 114,164
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.6x (15th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 46.8x (7th most expensive)
More on Gresham: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Gresham comes in at $61,826 and the median home value is $347,600 for 2023.
7. Eugene
/10
Population: 173,278
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.0x (6th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 49.2x (13th most expensive)
More on Eugene: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Eugene comes in at $55,776 and the median home value is $337,200 for 2023.
8. Portland
/10
Population: 647,176
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.9x (9th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 55.8x (37th most expensive)
More on Portland: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Portland comes in at $78,476 and the median home value is $462,800 for 2023.
9. Hood River
/10
Population: 8,210
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.2x (4th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 57.3x (4most expensive)
More on Hood River: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Hood River comes in at $69,429 and the median home value is $433,400 for 2023.
10. Lincoln City
/10
Population: 9,655
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 4)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.7x (12th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 45.7x (4th most expensive)
More on Lincoln City: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Lincoln City comes in at $49,297 and the median home value is $279,900 for 2023.
Methodology: How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Beaver State For 2023
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 2017-2021 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 77 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 Bend. You can download the data here.
Summary: Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck In Oregon For 2023
Well there you have it, the places in Oregon that have the highest cost of living, with Bend 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:
- Milton-Freewater
- Hermiston
- 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 | Bend | 8.0 |
| 2 | Corvallis | 9.33 |
| 3 | Seaside | 9.67 |
| 4 | Wilsonville | 11.33 |
| 5 | Ashland | 12.33 |
| 6 | Gresham | 14.67 |
| 7 | Eugene | 15.33 |
| 8 | Portland | 17.67 |
| 9 | Hood River | 18.67 |
| 10 | Lincoln City | 20.33 |
| 11 | Talent | 21.67 |
| 12 | Fairview | 21.67 |
| 13 | Milwaukie | 22.33 |
| 14 | Beaverton | 22.33 |
| 15 | Grants Pass | 24.0 |
| 16 | Medford | 24.67 |
| 17 | Newport | 25.67 |
| 18 | Lake Oswego | 26.0 |
| 19 | Mcminnville | 26.67 |
| 20 | Florence | 27.33 |
| 21 | Prineville | 27.67 |
| 22 | Monmouth | 30.67 |
| 23 | Silverton | 31.33 |
| 24 | Oregon City | 31.33 |
| 25 | Tigard | 32.0 |
| 26 | Tualatin | 32.67 |
| 27 | Forest Grove | 32.67 |
| 28 | Cornelius | 33.67 |
| 29 | Astoria | 34.0 |
| 30 | Veneta | 35.33 |
| 31 | Lebanon | 35.33 |
| 32 | Hillsboro | 35.33 |
| 33 | Sherwood | 35.67 |
| 34 | Gladstone | 36.33 |
| 35 | Salem | 36.67 |
| 36 | Newberg | 36.67 |
| 37 | West Linn | 36.67 |
| 38 | Redmond | 37.0 |
| 39 | Woodburn | 37.33 |
| 40 | Madras | 37.67 |
| 41 | Klamath Falls | 38.67 |
| 42 | Springfield | 39.0 |
| 43 | Canby | 41.33 |
| 44 | Molalla | 42.0 |
| 45 | Independence | 43.0 |
| 46 | Roseburg | 43.0 |
| 47 | Stayton | 44.0 |
| 48 | Keizer | 44.33 |
| 49 | Happy Valley | 44.33 |
| 50 | Warrenton | 44.33 |
| 51 | Sutherlin | 45.0 |
| 52 | Eagle Point | 45.33 |
| 53 | Dallas | 45.67 |
| 54 | Brookings | 46.33 |
| 55 | Tillamook | 47.33 |
| 56 | Troutdale | 47.67 |
| 57 | Scappoose | 48.0 |
| 58 | Cottage Grove | 48.67 |
| 59 | Sweet Home | 49.33 |
| 60 | Coos Bay | 50.33 |
| 61 | La Grande | 51.83 |
| 62 | Albany | 52.67 |
| 63 | Winston | 52.83 |
| 64 | Sandy | 53.0 |
| 65 | Central Point | 53.67 |
| 66 | Philomath | 54.0 |
| 67 | North Bend | 55.67 |
| 68 | The Dalles | 59.33 |
| 69 | St. Helens | 60.67 |
| 70 | Creswell | 61.0 |
| 71 | Junction City | 62.33 |
| 72 | Umatilla | 67.0 |
| 73 | Ontario | 68.33 |
| 74 | Pendleton | 69.67 |
| 75 | Baker City | 70.0 |
| 76 | Hermiston | 72.33 |
| 77 | Milton-Freewater | 75.33 |
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