How Expensive is Portland? See How It Compares to its Peer Cities

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Monday, June 01, 2015

GoLocalPDX News Team

The increase price of real estate especially for renters is cause for concerns for Portland residents. Many worry that increased cost of livinig coupled with relatively flat wages will make Portland less and less affordable. GoLocalPDX looked at how the city compares to peer cities for cost of living.

Throughout the course of this year Portland has been named the #1 Most Bike-Friendly City in the U.S. and the #2 Most LGBT-Friendly City in the U.S. 

But, quality of life rankings matter little if residents can't afford rent or to buy groceries.

Slideshow Below: How Portland Costs Compare With Other Cities

GoLocalPDX has evaluated cost of living benchmarks for Portland as it compares to New York City, San Francisco, Seattle and Austin.

Five cost of living factors were evaluated: gas prices, average cost of rent for an aapartment, average salary, cost of a beer, an groceries.

Gas prices are often elastic and many American's have enjoyed significant relief in gas prices due to falling global gasoline prices. Recently, prices just exceeded $3 per gallon in Portland. Portland’s average gas price is $3.03, yet the average price between Portland, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle and Austin is $3.07. 

Cost of Housing for Renters

For a one-bedroom apartment in Portland the average price is $1,127. Of the five cities only Austin had an average price that was lower that Portland.  A one-bedroom apartment average rent in Austin is $1,122 per month. Portland had the cheapest average cost of rent when it came to two-bedroom apartments. “That actually surprises me,” stated the Manager for the Beverly Apartments. “I actually think rent will increase even more with more and more people moving to Portland. I'm from the southwest, and rent there was far more manageable.”

Salaries are Flat and in Portland Lagging

Portland trailed the rest of the peer cities relating to salaries. Not a suprise as New York, Seattle and San Francisco are three of the highest average salaries in the United States. The average salary amongst Portland, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle and Austin is $65,600. Portland’s average salary is around $56,000. Only the city of Austin averaged a smaller salary.

One category that we researched that is dear to the hearts of Portlanders is the average price of a cappuccino/latte. For this particular category GoLocalPDX chose to look at the average price of a cappuccino/latte from Stumptown, since they are one of the most well-known coffee shops in the city. We then compared their prices to Ninth Street Espresso in New York City, Blue Bottle in San Francisco, Café Vita in Seattle and Cuvee Coffee in Austin. At Stumptown the average cost is $3.75, which is close to the average of all five coffee shops that we researched. Luckily for coffee shops in Portland, some customers aren’t all too concerned when it comes to pricing. “I am a coffee addict and I would absolutely pay more for Stumptown coffee,” said Laney Cleavenger, a regular customer at Stumptown. “Pricing isn’t very important to me. I’m aware that the coffee industry is very expensive, but I can’t resist the sweet aroma. Coffee keeps me alert and awake, and it’s fun and hip. I don’t really think about price, I just buy what I know I love!”

Another category that evaluated was the average cost of a pint of beer. Once again Portland's price was right under the average cost. Portland averages $4.50 for a pint, and the overall average amongst all five cities was $4.80. 

Portlanders' price of cappuccinos, lattes and beer is less than what the residents in the other major cities pay.

Grocery Bill

The average cost of groceries was the only category in which Portland came out as the most expensive. For one person living in Portland it will cost an estimated $3,607 a year for groceries annually. The least expensive city for groceries is Austin. 

As Portland continues to grow, residents need to worry about flat incomes, increasing rents and the cost of groceries. They can take solace hoist another cold pint and celebrate the affordability of Portland beer.

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Related Slideshow: How Portland Compares With Other Cities

Related Articles

• Portland’s ‘Know Your City’ Walking Tours Now Free
• Portland’s Best Places to Drink Outside
• Portland’s Middle-Income Jobs in Decline, Says Study
• Portland Metro’s Top High Schools
• Portland One of Nation’s Safest For Bikes
• Oregon Ranks in Top 5 for Highest Gas Prices
• Portland Ranked #1 Most Bike-Friendly City in U.S.
• Portland Ranked 2nd Most LGBT-Friendly City in U.S.
• PDX Ranked as “Happiest” Airport
• The Drunkest States in America: See Where Oregon Ranks
• Study Ranks Two Oregon Cities “Most Fitness-Friendly” in U.S.
• Oregon Ranks in the Top 10 States With the Richest People
• Which Oregon City Ranks Best for First Time Home Buyers?
• Portland Ranks Among Richest Cities in U.S.
• Oregon’s Business Rankings
• Oregon Ranks No. 2 For ‘Tax Fairness’
• Portland Ranks 11th in US Carfree Cities

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