Cost of Living in Portland, OR, United States

RESTAURANTS

There are hundreds of excellent restaurants in Portland, for any palate or diet.

Eating out is a bit more expensive in Portland than in most other cities in Oregon!

You can eat street food for less than a dollar, of course, and you can also have a meal in a decent restaurant for around 19$.

There’s always the option of fast food for a couple of dollars!

MARKETS

Low-cost, high-quality groceries mean you won’t have to pick between food or rent in Oregon.

The people in Oregon usually hate Walmart and love unionized grocery stores.

Expect everything you buy to cost you an extra 30% to 50% over the cost in cities in the rest of the country.

TRANSPORTATION

Portland is excellent for cycling, with a network of streets designed to be used by bicyclists.

Apart from that, there’s the TriMet service that operates buses, streetcars, and MAX light rail throughout Portland.

A 2.5-hour TriMet ticket costs 2.50$.

All-day tickets are $5.00.

TriMet tickets are valid for using MAX, bus, and streetcar.

Since this service works well, you don’t really need a car.

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

Utilities are generally cheap in Oregon but in Portland, they’re a bit more expensive.

Of course, depending on the size of your apartment and the amount of electricity you spend, your bills could be higher or lower, but all in all – for an apartment of around 85m2, all basic utilities including electricity, gas, water, heating, cooling and garbage services, will cost you around 277$.

SPORTS & LEISURE

There are many available activities for anyone wanting to practice sports outside.

You can go hiking along the Columbia River Gorge and see the many waterfalls that dot the trails.

Membership in a gym or a fitness club will cost you around 66$.

Cinema tickets are much cheaper, however, costing only about 13.2$ each.

CLOTHING & SHOES

When it comes to shopping, you’ll have many options.

Like Washington Square, located in the south of Portland.

It is the largest shopping mall in the state of Oregon, with just about everything you would expect to find.

You can find quality jeans like Levi’s for only 70$, while a pair of quality running shoes from brands like Nike cost around 12$.

RENT PER MONTH

Rent prices are starting to go down slightly due to all the new apartments everywhere but, on average, they are through the roof.

Be prepared to spend at least 1800$ a month in rent for a one-bedroom apartment.

An apartment outside of the city center will be closer to 1500$.