I make 50k a a year pre tax. Single guy in a 1 bedroom apartment. I spend more than I would like on rent/bills but I would say I’m relatively comfortable.
They are if you do. Thats how w2s work. Theres a box for “tip income” (I forget which number it is but if you look at a w2 form you can find it) and any tips you report are declared there. If your potential landlords are not taking this into account you are either
A: not bringing them a w2
Or
B: not reporting any or all of your tips
Do you live in new construction? An older building? Or a remodeled older building? $50k gross is a little less than i make and i was living in a new building at about $1250 for rent/parking/storage (because they'd rather delete a closet and put it elsewhere in the building and call it storage they can charge for).
I imagine that same apartment wouldn't be less than $1450 now.
Yeah, this. And it's very regional, most of the cheaper ones are middle of the country. We're cheapest on the west coast, doing good compared to northeast, similar to the southern coast, and more expensive than Midwest, inland west, etc.
Depends on your definition of 'comfortable' and what amenities are required within that definition.
I make around \~68k and live on a popular street in a 1bed apartment, just me and a cat, no car, no outstanding debts; I would say I'm very comfortable, can afford my bills and have enough leftover to have fun (nights out, day trips, etc.). However, saving for a proper house here for me is going to be a long journey.
Yep, this is one of those cities now where it’s cheaper to rent than own in many cases. I live in an old building and my rent is quite affordable. To a buy a similarly old house would be almost 4 times more expensive per month.
This is such a unique question for each person. It all depends on what you need in a place to live. What you are willing to pay for that and then what you want to spend your time doing.
I was lucky and bought a house in 2013 BUT i wasn't making crap and I am single income. I had the same car for 17 years. I was pretty thrifty for many years. I lived comfortably but I did not get out an about as much as a lot of people. I still had lots of fun.
Yeah bought in 2012 when the two of us weren't making crap and that low mortgage (comparable house would be 3x more now with mortgage rates 3-4x) is what makes it possible.
I actually refied twice to get lower interest rates (once in 2015 and again in early pandemic). I do think interest rates will drop again but it will be a little bit of time before you see standard mortgages for less than 5 % (no actual knowledge on my part).
My friend who is a mortgage broker and a really Good Person said she doesn’t think rates will go as low as they were recently (2.5% - 4%) in our lifetime. She is thinking maybe they’ll get to 4.5% or 5%, maybe. But it’s not the house price as much as the interest rate that determines your monthly payment.
And then people who’ve never owned are universally clueless about the costs of owning a home. We have probably spent $80k + in the last about 7 years for: roof, painting, necessary deck replacement, new furnace and hot water heater, a few new windows, etc. Do we have this cash? No. We refied for some and have a HELOC for others.
Again: still lucky, but I hope renters know that it really isn’t all that. Ugh, I hate how that comes across! I’d give anything for every worker to be able to afford a home like back in the 50s. I think if there were more income equality, we wouldn’t have anywhere near as big of a homeless, addicted, and mental illness problem.
I appreciate your post, inequality is definitely the common denominator in many of our societal woes!
Also wanted to comment on cost of owning a home as I don't think some people see that clearly as part of the picture. I will not dispute home ownership is a great way to build wealth and I am grateful to own a home. I have also spent tens of thousands on repairs, some upgrades, but mostly necessary expenses as you have described. I am older with a good, established career, so I have been able to save up or pay off these costs. If you are just getting by I don't know how you would fix things as they come up. I've also spent most weekends working on my house, there is always something that needs attention. I often turn down social invitations as I am just too busy, or trying to save money. Maybe just things to consider for those renter wanna be home owners.
Has the value of your house increased by more or by less than the amount of money you’ve put into it in the time you’ve owned it? Cuz three years into living in the same rental, it’s still worth nothing.
As someone who works in EMS, this is one of the MOST affordable and progressive cities to work and build a career in. Its the only large city I’ve worked in on the west coast that I can live in downtown and support my dog off of my regular wages with zero OT.
EMT starting wage in MultCo is around 20 an hour, btw.
I recall when I lived in SF in the mid-1990s. I was a teacher. Thanks to REAL rent control (not at all like the 10%+ inflation here!), I could afford rent, and then could afford to save. Of course that eventually led to me being locked into my apt since I could never afford market rate. But it did enable me to save a lot, and I was able to buy up here in 2002. I moved here because it was a small town then, not trendy or spendy, and my values were similar to here at the time.
Now it’s all so different. I could never afford my house now—22 years later—as my wages haven’t risen for reasons. And bc of divorce and some legal and health fallout from that, I had to refinance, so I still owe for about 25 years (will be dead then), and can’t afford to move bc of interest rates. I’m so fortunate that things worked so I could have this house. But it’s not a house I can grow older in bc no bath or bed on first floor. Not sure what will happen if rates don’t change so I can move to a single story; and I can barely afford the current mortgage anyway.
I’d give anything to have REAL rent control here so that renters could stay in a rental that’s reasonable and save, as I was able to. But even then, everything has changed, and housing prices are absurd. I truly pity the young. But know that it’s not always what you think when you see a decent home. Many of us are house poor. Still privileged, but not like you think.
Anyway, I recall walking through neighborhoods in SF, knowing the current (then) housing prices (way lower than here now, but that was 25 years ago), and just not comprehending what all those people must earn to be able to afford those homes.
Now I realize they probably owned them for decades, back when wages were relatively much higher compared to housing prices.
Capitalism is a bitch. And I think one of the reasons addiction, mental illness, and homelessness are so prolific is that there isn’t as much hope (aka “The American Dream”). So people just numb themselves.
Cost of living in the Portland area is comparable to Dallas, Miami, or Chicago by most measures. We’re in the top third, but still the cheapest in the coastal West.
You need $75,000/year to support two people with no kids.
Portland has always had depressed salaries compared to elsewhere. Like, for decades. This has led me to work remotely for companies in Washington and California to get market rate. I recently took a job located in Portland and they tried to lowball again by offering me 30% less pay, saying “Portland is cheaper.” I played chicken by countering with an outrageous increase. They landed in the middle and now I make a salary that allows me to afford living here. Fuck this sentiment that employers here have. They think it’s a cheap city and that people are willing to settle for lower pay because the QOL is supposedly better here.
Same. During my last job search this spring, on-site roles for my job in Portland were generally paying salaries $20-30k lower than what the remote role for an east coast company offered me.
Don’t know if it’s still this way, but right after college, a handful of years ago, a few accounting friends of mine were lamenting the colleagues of theirs in the same Big 4 company living in big but depressed Midwest cities (Detroit, Cleveland etc) were making more dollar for dollar than they were in Portland. I don’t know what the calculus was, but yeah, leaving Portland came with a pay bump and COL decrease for some of those guys.
During the pandemic the one time I went to the office the VP was complaining on the phone thst they had to compete with Seattle and california wages now.
I feel like $75K for two people is low, unless you have no debt and are living in an apartment. Unless each of them are making $75K, in which case they should be living an easy breezy life
I don’t think it does “. As such, the living wage does not budget for eating out at a restaurant or meals that aren’t prepared at home; leisure time, holidays, or unpaid vacations; or savings, retirement, and other long-term financial investments.”
COL in Portland and Dallas being the same is fucking insane to me because I'm from DFW but moved immediately as an adult so I never paid rent there. I find that hard to believe tbh but I'm sure there's statistics. I don't think Dallas and Chicago have ever been the same cost wise for example.
I'd hate to pay the power bill for ac in the summer in TX. In GA, just the ac alone was an extra $300/mo on top of normal electric charges, and you run it hard day and night for about 5-8 months of the year, depending on your heat tolerance (I have none).
I think he said his home values at $700k. I know some people think Texas is "cheaper" because there's no state income tax, but property taxes definitely raise that COL a helluva lot.
Not really. Yes, you can find much cheaper houses in Chicago, but they’re also in extremely poor and crime ridden areas. Portland doesn’t really have a comparable area. If you were to compare, say NE Portland to Jefferson Park, they’d have similar prices (especially when you consider a heavier burden of property taxes in Chicago).
Condos are definitely more expensive in Portland, but mostly because Condos in Portland are 1. Concentrated downtown 2. Usually newish construction. The majority of Condos in Chicago are from older construction, strewn throughout high and low cost areas of the city generally.
Having moved from Chicago to Portland (and then having bought a house in Portland), I found CoL to be essentially the same, just spread out a little differently.
Ditto (also from Chicago recently). Aside from the extremely desirable neighborhoods here, you get a bit more for the same home price. Most of the Chicago homes in walkable/bikeable neighborhoods (with a nice back yard) sell at a serious premium and are in very short supply.
I would say combined net income of 90k+ is enough to rent and live comfortably with no kids if you have no debt.
I would say to BUY and live comfortably, 150k+ or more.
Accurate on the house number. I was house shopping during the pandemic on 175k/year, and while we found something after about 12 offers our options were rather limited. Maybe $125k, if you're willing to live out east.
- Portlands median income for 1 person is 45,000 a year or 3,750 a month or roughly $21.50 an hour full time
- Portland’s average rent is 1500 a month
- 1500 is 40% of median income
40% of your income for rent is a decent but not good ratio. However, if you have outstanding debt or kids (especially if you’re a single parent) it gets much harder.
Edit: some people were worried about taxes so I’ll drop this in. Taxes on the Portland median income are somewhat higher than average however keep in mind Oregon also delivers better than average benefits with guaranteed sick leave, OFLA protections, Paid Leave at 60% of your income, high minimum wage guarantees, and better than normal mass transit services.
However taxes on 45,000 of income are still high using the standard deduction.
- Federal ~3500
- State ~3050
- FICA ~3450 (Social Secuity/Medicare)
- Paid Leave Oregon ~270
All together TOTAL tax burden is about 22% of the average persons income running a little over $10,000 a year. Any additional you pay from your personal paycheck is either refunded when you file as your tax refund or deducted by your employer for employer provided benefits.
That's my situation almost exactly. $55k gross, single parent household of 2, rent went up to $1595 this year, and on top of that I have a lot of debt from paying for child care, food, and my kiddo's dental bills.
I wish my rent was $1595, mine has climbed from $1655 to $2510 and I'm a single dad just working as a handyman making $25/hr part time and it's a struggle for sure
I'd also say that "median income for 1 person" does not mean "amount to successfully live alone". My guess is that most people making $45k/year or less live in a shared situation, whether that is with a partner that has at least some income, or roommates/family that contribute. I don't think many people making $45k are renting the "average" rent apartment.
yeah it's rougher these days for sure. when I moved here, I made $18k and lived large. now I make 9x that and feel comfortable, but know that's not an attainable wage for most professions.
A lot of that is probably lifestyle creep. Right out of school, a bed frame and enough money for beer was living large. Now I make triple what I was and feel like I’m scraping by because I have a house and a car and eat out once a week with drinks.
I do it by having grown up poor (I’m old poor not new poor as they say in always sunny in Philadelphia. haha) so I know how to live within my means and find deals in most things I spend money on. When I see what other pay for groceries I’m always like “damn that’s like 5x what I spend”. 🤣 So think it depends on your lifestyle and what you prioritize spending money on.
The grocery thing was a huge revelation to me. Like, what do you mean people have the same shopping list and they just go buy the same stuff regardless of the price??? I grew up buying essentials/freezeable stuffs on sale in bulk, and live off them until the next sale, so that's still what I do. When the basic necessities inflation hit I was so confused hearing people complain about it, because the amount I spent didn't really change.
Right! Always shop by coupon/sales first then it’s maybe a splurge to treat myself on things I want but can’t think of a time I just made a list without checking the deals at all. Haha. Glad I’m not the only one out there living the good life. 😁
My partner and i make a combined 65-70k/ year. Two bed/ 800 sq ft house. We don’t go out to eat a ton, and our free time is spent hiking more than going out and spending. We are not the most comfortable but more than we have been in awhile.
We got very lucky and bought a house that was run-down and hella ugly but completely structurally sound when the market wasn’t as insane (2018) and then refinanced when mortgage rates were at 3.2%. It means our mortgage payment for this place is way less than rent would be. Combined income is $120k/year, no kids, no car payment.
Luckily bought a tiny fixer house in a shit neighborhood in ‘08. So my mortgage is $1k. I work full time, don’t take fancy vacations, don’t see shows at the Moda, don’t eat at Le Pigeon, don’t have a car payment, wear used clothing.
Now, if you want the high life in a great neighborhood with a big bungalow, probably at least $100k a piece sans children and assorted costs like daycare.
We do fine as a couple on basically 1 salary but we don't have kids and drive older cars (no car payments), and our only debt is my student loans. We only eat out together maybe once a week, plus maybe I'll get a drive thru meal on days I buy groceries.
I don't know how people do it with kids and debt and car payments, I assume credit card debt might creep in, and I know how dangerous that can be
Want the most abrupt and least inclusive response? Gain a skill that pays well if you don’t have the degree. Tech (which I hire for) and healthcare, two of the biggest money makers here in the area (aside from high end sales people which takes years and great luck, trust me. Oh yeah just become a doctor or lawyer, yeah right that’s not a flip of the switch). For Tech you can do coding boot camp. For healthcare you can go to scrub tech school through PCC. Both are affordable costs and typically result in six figure salaries within a few years if you’re smart, savvy, hustle, and advocate for yourself.
Step 2: must max out at 2 kids unless you’re making over $200k. Even then, just max out at 2 for energy purposes ;)
Step 3: don’t live in MultCo for tax purposes. Other surrounding areas are getting kind of “cool” now, like Beaverton.
Step 4: don’t keep buying or leasing expensive cars. Sure, buy a nice Toyota/Subaru, pay it off, and keep it for 10+ years.
Step 5: Stop drinking. Wine guzzling and cocktail loving adults cost about $500/mo just with that habit alone.
Step 6: budget and start canceling stupid subscriptions. How many streaming services do you need? 3 houses sharing YouTubeTV and HBO is $32/mo each - you can easily pay $100 for those two if not careful. Go into Xfinity and check for promos regularly (just saved $36/mo by setting up a new account through my wife), just remember to set calendar reminders so you don’t get rate spikes. Start buying basic/essential clothes at Target instead of J Crew and Nordstrom. Subscribe and save on Amazon. Buy groceries at WinCo instead of Whole Paycheck and New Pretentious Seasons. Become a Costco member. Stop paying $150 for date night at a trendy spot on Hawthorne or the Pearl - drop $90 on a meal, go to Wallace Park and people watch then walk around and have bomb sex after.
Step 7 sucks to write but staggering your longer or more exotic vacations kind of needs to be done especially for a family.
Best advice in this thread! I’ll add:
Get a solid credit card that returns at least 2% rewards (like Fidelity Visa) and Chase Amazon Rewards to cut 5% there.
Track and stick to your budget every month. If this is challenging then use a tool like Monarch to make it easier. But either way, do it.
Expense everything you can at work. Now that most work is remote, some companies are more flexible.
Pick a home that balances low cost, low taxes and just close enough to your needs to stay happy, whatever those are. Then gradually ratchet up to homes in nicer areas as your income and home value rises.
If you bike everywhere, don’t participate in mainstream social activities, eat cheap, and live with roommates, you can afford to breathe the air here for about 25k.
The cost of living here is certainly more expensive then many small midwestern towns, but it is not expensive compared to most other cities, in fact it's one of the more affordable big cities on the west coast. Its cheaper than anywhere in the Bay Area by a huge margin, cheaper than LA, SD, Seattle, even cheaper than smaller cities like Bend.
Got lucky to find an income restricted apartment in 2019, that I can’t ever afford to leave. I make 28k a year working for a non profit. I don’t have a car and don’t pay my student loans.
Got luckily and bought a house before prices got crazy so my mortgage (including insurance and taxes) is only $1200/month. Two adults and one kid makes that not too bad. We definitely struggle but we save money by shopping sales and at Winco. Always shop around for things like car insurance and cell phones (mint mobile FTW).
And I do side gigs as much as possible to make extra cash.
Portland is certainly not one the highest cost of living cities. That’s one of the reasons many people have moved here. NYC, LA, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, and many other big cities cost a lot more than Portland. It’s certainly getting more expensive, but still lots cheaper than others.
Thank you! Imma buy a van in a month. Just waiting on a couple paychecks.
In the meantime being homeless actually fucking rules. I get to fall asleep under the stars, wake up to big fluffy clouds. Sleeping in concrete is amazing for my back and I’ve only been robbed once!
Ugh. This makes me so mad. Anyone who works over like 30 hours a week should be able to buy some type of home.
Sometimes I wonder what the people who’s decisions drive all this income inequality—and its attending issues like homelessness and (I would argue) some people’s addictions and poor mental health—are thinking will happen in the long term. But the GOP especially, and other inside-the-beltway peeps, don’t think long-term. Not about the climate, not about the impact of banning abortion and (trying to ban) birth control. Like: what kind of life will these kids have, and what will be the cost? Same goes with refusing to switch to universal health care, or underfunding schools. WTF do they think will come of these decisions and policies???
Tangent there, sorry.
Hah. That was the best rant I’ve seen since Dennis Miller opened for Chumba Wumba to celebrate the new Samsung flip phone in 2010.
Yeah, the problem is land in Portland is in a massive pricing bubble. Landlords barely scrape by because the property taxes are so high, but they can’t sell the property either, so they just get bitter and angry at their tenants, who get bitter and angry because they have to pay 75% of their income just to sleep inside.
I’ve lived all over the country. For as beautiful as the scenery is and as good as the social supports are and how progressive the general population is, western Oregon is pretty affordable.
I recently looked up my old one bedroom, one bath, 650 sqft. apartment in San Clemente, CA, which is kinda comparable to Newport, OR, that I used to pay $1000 a month for. $2500 now. For that tiny little place.
The apartment I moved out of before I came to OR was $3300 for an approximately 1000 sqft. two bedroom and they were about the raise the rent another $400 to renew the lease.
Honestly after all that, and after seeing what you actually have to endure to live cheap in the south, western Oregon ain’t looking so bad.
120k for 2 adults no kids. Have a great 2-bed that I’m not going to tell my landlord he’s undercharging for. 1 car and the last $9k on my student loans. That affords us eating out 1-2 times a week, 2-3 vacations a year, retirement savings, and savings we’re going to put towards buying a house in my husband’s home country. Definitely felt like I could do more 8 years ago when I moved here on and we were making $85k/year but a chill local landlord when you can find them is an absolute game changer!
2 br apt in north portland, no kids, one cat. we make about $100k/yr and we are surviving just fine. Last year i lived in a studio by myself. I make 60 to 75k a year (shift work and tips vary), and i was comfortable in the apt.
The biggest roadblock for me/my partner is we want to buy since we have dogs. Renting with dogs is difficult and we want the space for them to roam with a yard. The only houses I saw that were within our price range where the boat homes which are very cool, but maybe not for our lifestyle at the moment with the doggos.
But about 80k-90k combined income, no kids, 5 animals, student loan debt.
We have minimized pets, children, and vehicles. We are also vegetarians which helps. We could live much larger elsewhere, but feel freer and happier living this way. Love it here.
I make like 20k a year, college student. Living in a 5 bedroom house with 7 people. I don’t think any of us would be able to afford living in studios or one bedrooms. Roommates are a requirement for those making under 35k
50k is what it takes to make it in the city. Anything below and you are bunking it with a roommate. Helps to have a romantic partner you live with.
If you cannot make more than 45k, moving out of the city and into Clackamas or out East is you option. Vancouver is slightly cheaper and is generally regarded as a less crime ridden area. Out of state, however and the bridge is no joke.
Many management jobs meet that 50k a year threshold, luckily.
Service industry jobs easily meet this threshold as well.
Getting a certification in cyber security, which takes on average about a year, meets this threshold with mostly work-from-home jobs.
Pharmacy tech gets you in the medical field, which starts off below the threshold but easily meets this. You can earn a technical degree within 8-12 months.
It's very possible, but you must own your car outright or not have a car. You must not have children, and you either need quality insurance or no-pre-existing medical illnesses that directly increase your overhead.
So, not possible for everyone, but it is possible for many people who move here, which is why people move here.
I wonder the same thing. I had to leave Portland for Hillsboro a few years ago. Jobs aren't paying well and cost of living has skyrocketed. I see apartments in Beaverton that start at $2700 a month, for an apartment... that's insane.
I'm pretty sure the median rent for a 2 BR apartment in most of the west suburbs passed Portland over the last five years. Definitely Beaverton, but I think Tigard and Hillsboro too.
Saw someone score a Beaverton area 2 bedroom for 1625 a month. For those looking checkout complexes that are not on the dynamic pricing, "change the asking rent every few hours" plan.
Don't go out to eat much, when you do go for a night pregame, bring a flask, and get cheap beer. Live with others. Depending on your standard, it's not that difficult if you are willing to sacrifice some things. For me I weighed the beauty of the place, people I have here, and entertainment and decided that it was worth it
We've lived here since the mid 90s and were lucky to buy a house pretty cheaply in 2001. We make over $250k a year (4 humans, 4 cats and 2 dogs), but if we had a gigantic house payment it would be tough.
The two bedroom house my parents bought for $16k in 1973 is now estimated at $424k on Zillow.
They sold it for around $70k in the early 1990s.
It’s all absurd. Painfully so.
I’ve decided to stop talking to my “Old Portland” friends about this stuff, because it guts me every time. One of them bought what most people moving here now would consider a pretty nice little home, back in the 90s for some absurdly low amount. I believe it was like sub-$70k, if my shocked memory allows. Anyway, they sold the thing not too long ago for over 10 times that much.
But to be fair, even what my wife and I bought our home for in 2017 is now absurdly low by today’s standards. So, there ya go.
I can remember my parents being shocked when their house was "supposedly" worth $110k when I was a kid. I ended up buying it from them during the pandemic for around $400k. They probably would've gotten a touch more than that on the open market at the time because people were still offering above asking sight unseen.
2 person income totaling $104k/year, $1650 for a 2/1 in west portland near Mult Village. From where i used to live this place is fucking paradise, i can afford a nice apartment, and save money!
If i lived by myself i would still be able to afford it here, doricourt apartments, $850/month studio and GRIND.
Single income family of 5. 2bd 1.5ba townhouse. Rent is $1,500. Last year I grossed $73k. I’m paycheck to paycheck, but have 2 car payments and CC debt I’m slowly paying off. I can afford it.
I worked hard, went to grad school and took on a loan that took me a decade to pay off, but I did it and that definitely boosted my earning power. We got priced out of the Bay Area, so compared to that, Portland seems pretty affordable, even now. That’s the thing, it’s all relative.
Local wages are lower than most big cities, but costs are too in reality. Working a job that’s revenue is tied more globally or working remotely makes it very feasible. Like many places local work wages don’t match prices though
I moved here in 2013 for a job that started at $61k, and rent at my first apartment was $894. If I hadn't bought my house later that year, I don't think I could afford to live here anywhere but in a rented room, even with my salary doubling by 2022 (and certainly not now that I had to leave my job).
When my ex moved out into a "studio plus" apartment near the South Park Blocks, his rent was the same as my mortgage for a 1650sf 4-bedroom house. It's crazy. My dad keeps telling me I should be excited that my house has doubled in value, but no; I'm not the least bit excited my city has become completely unlivable.
2 incomes, decent jobs. When we moved, we had a roommate and paid our dues for quit a while scraping by until we managed new jobs or raises to get comfortable. It was a process.
100k/year for 2 people seems reasonable, under that and you will be making some sacrifices either regarding location, amenities, or general lifestyle stuff. In my experience.
I make 75k a year and my rent is 2k a month. It sucks. I definitely struggle and don't indulge in a lot of stuff that others do like hair, nails done, restaurants..
Almost $200k between the two of us, own, dildos (double income little dog owners). Neither one of us could've afforded to buy on our own and our rent was going up 20% annually so it made sense to buy. We live comfortably.
Portland is the 2nd cheapest place to live on the West Coast #1 is Fresno Ca…I don’t see many folks rushing to move there. I work in real estate and my wife in graphic design. Typical median incomes. Keep costs low. Don’t have any TV subscriptions, don’t go to bars, just enjoy the PNW and all its beauty.
As far as appealing west coast cities go, Portland is still very cheap. Far from the highest in the country.
If you two are willing to get cozy, there's studios for around $800 a month and plenty of 1 bedrooms for around $1000/m (these are in cool neighborhoods). You can get by without a car if you're really trying to slim down the budget.
You're not going to find much cheaper in any desirable city or town.
We are buying a house in Cully in NE Portland. I am a custom tile designer and installer. We are a car free family. We have a selection of bicycles, a couple of big e-bikes and a few different trailers for hauling stuff. We save easily over $20,000 a year without having a car. We don't drink either and save a lot there.
I moved to Portland in my early 20s and this is the only place I have ever adulted and it's all I know. I have raised a family, bought homes and had a couple of different businesses. I love Portland and actively work to make it better.
The cost is what it is.
Me and my girlfriend make ~110k combined and we’re very comfortable. However, we were at one point making about 75k combined, and we’re still decently comfortable. It’s seriously super easy to make at least 40k a year yourself here, tons of jobs paying $20/hr
I hate to break it to you, but most people cannot actually make it here.
Saying that as someone thats lived here almost 4 years and moving right back where I came from. Between the cost of living, lack of consistent resources, and serious influx of seemingly senseless crime/violence it is way more stressful than all the beautiful nature can cure being here.
I can't hold out for pdx to recover, g2g
Some of us living income restricted buildings people that make less than $40,000 with kids here seem to have a lot of programs people over 65 get a lot of senior too I guess it depends I'm sure people could argue with that I'm building says a single person under $40,000 a year is allowed to rent there's a nice one bedroom across from me for 1079 right now and has a nice balcony just like mine I believe the couples income cap set 52,000 the two bedrooms are like 1295 right now and they have a referral fee for all people that get approved the verify everybody's income so a lot of people lie about it and they get rejected but it's not so bad a lot of horror stories about this place but it's been cleaned up and maintain fairly well has issues like anybody else but overall I enjoy it overlook South Park blocks and is pretty beautiful on a nice day
My partner and I both make a little under $30k a year and live in a small one bedroom with our cats. I'm trying my best to advance my career, but the job market is garbage right now. OHP and food handouts at the park help.
I can’t remember the exact figure, but they said on the news recently a single person needed to make about $109k a year to live comfortably in Portland. That is outrageous, but of course a lot of this is subjective. It all depends on what the individual considers comfortable.
mostly by mooching off my partner, tbh. we’re both technically homeless ig, but she stays at the hotel she works at, & i stay when she can afford the fee for a second person. i do freelance art but haven’t had any luck with steady jobs (even combined, we wouldn’t hit the third of wages thing that most legit places require). kinda sucks lol
The cost of living and wages are terrible nationally, coming from someone who travels the country for work. It’s actually awful. There are pros and cons for everywhere you go. Inflation is going up everywhere and the wages are not keeping up. It’s a problem across many work industries, living in urban, suburban, or rural areas, living in different parts of the country, etc. For example, I lived somewhere between suburban and rural in the Midwest, and the prices of everything are high and have been growing, but the pay is on the very low end with no hope in sight. Portland is not a whole lot better or worse than anywhere else, in my opinion, and there are pros and cons to literally anywhere. For myself personally, I’d make more money living here, but I’d have approximately the same living expenses. You definitely do have to do your research for a career that will make decent money without putting you in too much debt, and make sacrifices on wants in this current economy. It’s manageable, but idk, I really hope the economy starts improving because with the amount of money my husband and I make combined, we would easily be more than comfortable, maybe even living lavishly, if it was even just 5 or 6 years ago, but now we’re just trying to climb our way out of debt in an economy that’s fighting us every day.
I’m… not. I have super low (for Portland) rent, and a decent office job but I am NOT breaking even. My credit card debt is out of hand cause this city is so expensive
6 people 1 roof? name checks out
jkjk, wife and I are at 2 roomies, any more and i might have to go take a long dip in the river, but bills are much more manageable, mortgage is low and we can finally start putting money into the house
Yeah it's definitely a lot sometimes, but we're able to save up for our own place some day this way, and we live with friends and help them pay their mortgage instead of paying some random landlord.
yeah, thats almost the exact same situation here too, friend of a friend type situation. One can be...alot sometimes, the other is a dream hahaha.
I hope you get that place asap, we have 10 years left on our mortgage and are thinking of re-negotiating soon to get it even lower, freedom is so close for us and itll be so soon for you too :)
Comfortable salary for two people? Man, that depends on your largest expense- housing. You getting a condo, apartment, house? Buying/renting? Where in town?
People afford Portland the same way someone would afford San Francisco, L.A., N.Y. - within their means.
Wife and worked hard for 10 years to grow our earnings. Lived within our means throughout. Bought home outside of Portland proper. Dialed in a budget and stuck with it. Practiced responsibility to not have children in our 20’s before our foundation was established. Now living comfortably, enjoying the things we like and entertaining growing our family.
I see these post all the time and it slightly baffles me. Either your lifestyle desires do not align with your career in its current time, or you have a not diligently put together a budget, and stuck with it based around your current situation. I’m not saying one should be able to just buy a home, car etc… but expectation properly aligned with reality should not make this that difficult.
Both of us do not have degrees and have been in our industries for 10+ years starting at an entry level desk/labor position. It is possible.
Combined 130K allowed us to live semi-comfortably in a 2br apartment in Beaverton. Even then though it took serious budgeting and good spending habits to build a savings.
Bro you're tripping. I make a third of that on a single income living in inner SE and still save 15% gross, no budgeting.
What, are you leasing two new cars?
I was raised in poverty. I now make $88k while paying $550 for car+insurance, $1595 for rent+utilities, and $350 for student loans. I eat out at fancy restaurants 5-7 nights a week, go to cocktail/beer bars every weekend, travel out of state monthly. I won’t live long enough to need much savings due to a disease. I still put aside $900/month. No pets.
The people on here with my income “scrimping and saving” are either fully lying or consider living in a high-end city and going to fancy restaurants as “scrimping”.
Anyone with less income, it’s gonna be tough if you also spend a lot on a luxury car and luxury dinners.
this an entirely vibes base response:
assuming two people, living only with each other,
1bd \~70,000 combined household income
So basically both need to be a 2000 hours a year and at least minimum wage. Obviously this gets much easier if you can get to 20/hr.
I don't think you could swing a 2 bedroom on that, and you'd need to share one older car, ideally commuting by bus, bike, walking and just using the car for longer trips.
Idk about "highest in the country". If that's the case it cant be much higher than the average. I came here from Iowa which is pretty low on the cost of living, and the only thing that was significantly higher was gas.
I make 50k a a year pre tax. Single guy in a 1 bedroom apartment. I spend more than I would like on rent/bills but I would say I’m relatively comfortable.
Did you have an issue qualifying at places?
I didn’t personally but I only applied to one place and was approved when I was looking so YMMV depending on which leasing company you go with.
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They do if you report them. Thats the catch 22 of surviving off tips I’m sorry to say.
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Taxed income is income. Who has denied you for tips? I have had no problem in a decade working tipped.
They are if you do. Thats how w2s work. Theres a box for “tip income” (I forget which number it is but if you look at a w2 form you can find it) and any tips you report are declared there. If your potential landlords are not taking this into account you are either A: not bringing them a w2 Or B: not reporting any or all of your tips
Photoshop your statements and lie.
I lowered my insurance by $200 using this one simple trick - "show proof of a lower quote and we will match" okay!
Definitely dude. Commit tax fraud because some rando on reddit said to. Trust me man. It’ll be totally fine.
It’s not Tax fraud because you’re not reporting your doctored statements to the IRS you are giving them to property management as proof of income.
Im pretty much in the same boat.
Me tooo except I have roommates and it's it's very reasonable for me
How much is your rent?
I pay $1,355 not including utilities.
Bro that’s pretty good. I pay like 1600$ for a studio. It’s a really nice studio but still.
Do you live in new construction? An older building? Or a remodeled older building? $50k gross is a little less than i make and i was living in a new building at about $1250 for rent/parking/storage (because they'd rather delete a closet and put it elsewhere in the building and call it storage they can charge for). I imagine that same apartment wouldn't be less than $1450 now.
Jesus. I live in a studio in SE and I feel like I'd be fucked if I made less than 6 figures
Unfortunately this isn't one of the highest in the country. I'd say we are medium to medium high.
We're just outside of the top quarter, which I think counts as medium-high.
Yeah, this. And it's very regional, most of the cheaper ones are middle of the country. We're cheapest on the west coast, doing good compared to northeast, similar to the southern coast, and more expensive than Midwest, inland west, etc.
I think we are one of the highest compared to the average wages in the area
Depends on your definition of 'comfortable' and what amenities are required within that definition. I make around \~68k and live on a popular street in a 1bed apartment, just me and a cat, no car, no outstanding debts; I would say I'm very comfortable, can afford my bills and have enough leftover to have fun (nights out, day trips, etc.). However, saving for a proper house here for me is going to be a long journey.
I’m in a similar boat, ~74k with a cat, no car, zero debt. Sounds like we should be shoo-ins for home ownership. Maybe 30 years ago🙃
Yep, this is one of those cities now where it’s cheaper to rent than own in many cases. I live in an old building and my rent is quite affordable. To a buy a similarly old house would be almost 4 times more expensive per month.
This is such a unique question for each person. It all depends on what you need in a place to live. What you are willing to pay for that and then what you want to spend your time doing. I was lucky and bought a house in 2013 BUT i wasn't making crap and I am single income. I had the same car for 17 years. I was pretty thrifty for many years. I lived comfortably but I did not get out an about as much as a lot of people. I still had lots of fun.
Yeah bought in 2012 when the two of us weren't making crap and that low mortgage (comparable house would be 3x more now with mortgage rates 3-4x) is what makes it possible.
I actually refied twice to get lower interest rates (once in 2015 and again in early pandemic). I do think interest rates will drop again but it will be a little bit of time before you see standard mortgages for less than 5 % (no actual knowledge on my part).
We did too. There's a whole lot of us on a similar schedule lol
2050 will be time to party!
My friend who is a mortgage broker and a really Good Person said she doesn’t think rates will go as low as they were recently (2.5% - 4%) in our lifetime. She is thinking maybe they’ll get to 4.5% or 5%, maybe. But it’s not the house price as much as the interest rate that determines your monthly payment. And then people who’ve never owned are universally clueless about the costs of owning a home. We have probably spent $80k + in the last about 7 years for: roof, painting, necessary deck replacement, new furnace and hot water heater, a few new windows, etc. Do we have this cash? No. We refied for some and have a HELOC for others. Again: still lucky, but I hope renters know that it really isn’t all that. Ugh, I hate how that comes across! I’d give anything for every worker to be able to afford a home like back in the 50s. I think if there were more income equality, we wouldn’t have anywhere near as big of a homeless, addicted, and mental illness problem.
I appreciate your post, inequality is definitely the common denominator in many of our societal woes! Also wanted to comment on cost of owning a home as I don't think some people see that clearly as part of the picture. I will not dispute home ownership is a great way to build wealth and I am grateful to own a home. I have also spent tens of thousands on repairs, some upgrades, but mostly necessary expenses as you have described. I am older with a good, established career, so I have been able to save up or pay off these costs. If you are just getting by I don't know how you would fix things as they come up. I've also spent most weekends working on my house, there is always something that needs attention. I often turn down social invitations as I am just too busy, or trying to save money. Maybe just things to consider for those renter wanna be home owners.
Has the value of your house increased by more or by less than the amount of money you’ve put into it in the time you’ve owned it? Cuz three years into living in the same rental, it’s still worth nothing.
As someone who works in EMS, this is one of the MOST affordable and progressive cities to work and build a career in. Its the only large city I’ve worked in on the west coast that I can live in downtown and support my dog off of my regular wages with zero OT. EMT starting wage in MultCo is around 20 an hour, btw.
I recall when I lived in SF in the mid-1990s. I was a teacher. Thanks to REAL rent control (not at all like the 10%+ inflation here!), I could afford rent, and then could afford to save. Of course that eventually led to me being locked into my apt since I could never afford market rate. But it did enable me to save a lot, and I was able to buy up here in 2002. I moved here because it was a small town then, not trendy or spendy, and my values were similar to here at the time. Now it’s all so different. I could never afford my house now—22 years later—as my wages haven’t risen for reasons. And bc of divorce and some legal and health fallout from that, I had to refinance, so I still owe for about 25 years (will be dead then), and can’t afford to move bc of interest rates. I’m so fortunate that things worked so I could have this house. But it’s not a house I can grow older in bc no bath or bed on first floor. Not sure what will happen if rates don’t change so I can move to a single story; and I can barely afford the current mortgage anyway. I’d give anything to have REAL rent control here so that renters could stay in a rental that’s reasonable and save, as I was able to. But even then, everything has changed, and housing prices are absurd. I truly pity the young. But know that it’s not always what you think when you see a decent home. Many of us are house poor. Still privileged, but not like you think. Anyway, I recall walking through neighborhoods in SF, knowing the current (then) housing prices (way lower than here now, but that was 25 years ago), and just not comprehending what all those people must earn to be able to afford those homes. Now I realize they probably owned them for decades, back when wages were relatively much higher compared to housing prices. Capitalism is a bitch. And I think one of the reasons addiction, mental illness, and homelessness are so prolific is that there isn’t as much hope (aka “The American Dream”). So people just numb themselves.
This was a very real post. Sounds like me but swap the teaching for IT.
Cost of living in the Portland area is comparable to Dallas, Miami, or Chicago by most measures. We’re in the top third, but still the cheapest in the coastal West. You need $75,000/year to support two people with no kids.
I could be wrong but local wages are still not caught up with cost of living
Portland has always had depressed salaries compared to elsewhere. Like, for decades. This has led me to work remotely for companies in Washington and California to get market rate. I recently took a job located in Portland and they tried to lowball again by offering me 30% less pay, saying “Portland is cheaper.” I played chicken by countering with an outrageous increase. They landed in the middle and now I make a salary that allows me to afford living here. Fuck this sentiment that employers here have. They think it’s a cheap city and that people are willing to settle for lower pay because the QOL is supposedly better here.
Nah, they know it’s not a cheap city, that’s just the excuse they give to justify their lowballing.
I had to get a remote job on the east coast in order to get a decent salary. Portland wages have always been shit 🫠
Same. During my last job search this spring, on-site roles for my job in Portland were generally paying salaries $20-30k lower than what the remote role for an east coast company offered me.
Correct. I kept my job when I moved here from the East Coast, comparable local jobs are about 1/3 the salary.
Don’t know if it’s still this way, but right after college, a handful of years ago, a few accounting friends of mine were lamenting the colleagues of theirs in the same Big 4 company living in big but depressed Midwest cities (Detroit, Cleveland etc) were making more dollar for dollar than they were in Portland. I don’t know what the calculus was, but yeah, leaving Portland came with a pay bump and COL decrease for some of those guys.
During the pandemic the one time I went to the office the VP was complaining on the phone thst they had to compete with Seattle and california wages now.
You are very much correct
Depends on the field, but yes. Wages in Oregon grew faster than any other state over the past year, but still have to come up more.
They are not. Portland wages are not great
2 people at $20 an hour is over 75k…. Pretty hard pressed to find a job that pays under $20 an hour in Portland with any post secondary education.
I feel like $75K for two people is low, unless you have no debt and are living in an apartment. Unless each of them are making $75K, in which case they should be living an easy breezy life
That number comes from MIT’s living wage calculator. I don’t think it accounts for debt.
I don’t think it does “. As such, the living wage does not budget for eating out at a restaurant or meals that aren’t prepared at home; leisure time, holidays, or unpaid vacations; or savings, retirement, and other long-term financial investments.”
Miami is fat worse. Lower than national average wages and a sky high housing market.
COL in Portland and Dallas being the same is fucking insane to me because I'm from DFW but moved immediately as an adult so I never paid rent there. I find that hard to believe tbh but I'm sure there's statistics. I don't think Dallas and Chicago have ever been the same cost wise for example.
Property taxes and utilities are very expensive in DFW.
I could definitely imagine re water and electric. I guess I'm forever thinking as a renter.
I'd hate to pay the power bill for ac in the summer in TX. In GA, just the ac alone was an extra $300/mo on top of normal electric charges, and you run it hard day and night for about 5-8 months of the year, depending on your heat tolerance (I have none).
An acquaintance in the Houston suburbs recently said his property taxes are $1065 every month. I almost spit out my drink.
Yikes. Here you’d have to have a $1.5 million house to pay that much.
I think he said his home values at $700k. I know some people think Texas is "cheaper" because there's no state income tax, but property taxes definitely raise that COL a helluva lot.
House and condo prices in Chicago are waaaay lower than Portland.
Not really. Yes, you can find much cheaper houses in Chicago, but they’re also in extremely poor and crime ridden areas. Portland doesn’t really have a comparable area. If you were to compare, say NE Portland to Jefferson Park, they’d have similar prices (especially when you consider a heavier burden of property taxes in Chicago). Condos are definitely more expensive in Portland, but mostly because Condos in Portland are 1. Concentrated downtown 2. Usually newish construction. The majority of Condos in Chicago are from older construction, strewn throughout high and low cost areas of the city generally. Having moved from Chicago to Portland (and then having bought a house in Portland), I found CoL to be essentially the same, just spread out a little differently.
Ditto (also from Chicago recently). Aside from the extremely desirable neighborhoods here, you get a bit more for the same home price. Most of the Chicago homes in walkable/bikeable neighborhoods (with a nice back yard) sell at a serious premium and are in very short supply.
But rent is significantly higher. [Once source](https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/cost-of-living-calculator/), but there are many indices.
But Chi’s property taxes are waaaay higher than Portland.
And the winter is far worse.
But Chicago offers a lot more as a city
Portland is magic and all the city I need. Less city is the magic.
Good for you. I used to feel that way but now I'm ready to go back to a larger, more dynamic city. Things change.
THIS. I don’t want the big city, the magic here is that it’s a small city with big city vibes
I would say combined net income of 90k+ is enough to rent and live comfortably with no kids if you have no debt. I would say to BUY and live comfortably, 150k+ or more.
Yep. Household 170k, 2 adults 1 kid, “own”. Comfortable but expensive.
Accurate on the house number. I was house shopping during the pandemic on 175k/year, and while we found something after about 12 offers our options were rather limited. Maybe $125k, if you're willing to live out east.
Yeah, we’re at 150k and still didn’t find much worth stretching the budget for.
- Portlands median income for 1 person is 45,000 a year or 3,750 a month or roughly $21.50 an hour full time - Portland’s average rent is 1500 a month - 1500 is 40% of median income 40% of your income for rent is a decent but not good ratio. However, if you have outstanding debt or kids (especially if you’re a single parent) it gets much harder. Edit: some people were worried about taxes so I’ll drop this in. Taxes on the Portland median income are somewhat higher than average however keep in mind Oregon also delivers better than average benefits with guaranteed sick leave, OFLA protections, Paid Leave at 60% of your income, high minimum wage guarantees, and better than normal mass transit services. However taxes on 45,000 of income are still high using the standard deduction. - Federal ~3500 - State ~3050 - FICA ~3450 (Social Secuity/Medicare) - Paid Leave Oregon ~270 All together TOTAL tax burden is about 22% of the average persons income running a little over $10,000 a year. Any additional you pay from your personal paycheck is either refunded when you file as your tax refund or deducted by your employer for employer provided benefits.
That's my situation almost exactly. $55k gross, single parent household of 2, rent went up to $1595 this year, and on top of that I have a lot of debt from paying for child care, food, and my kiddo's dental bills.
I wish my rent was $1595, mine has climbed from $1655 to $2510 and I'm a single dad just working as a handyman making $25/hr part time and it's a struggle for sure
2510 FROM 1655? That feels like it goes over the legal limit per year, might wanna do some research
It definitely is over.
Mhm, time to talk to the managers or a lawyer. Prolly the lawyer tbh
In 2023 the cap was at 14%. January 2024 changed the cap at 10%. Over by either amount.
I'd also say that "median income for 1 person" does not mean "amount to successfully live alone". My guess is that most people making $45k/year or less live in a shared situation, whether that is with a partner that has at least some income, or roommates/family that contribute. I don't think many people making $45k are renting the "average" rent apartment.
You're ignoring taxes, when I was making $52,000/yr or $25/hr in 2018 my take-home was about $2700/month.
The recommendation of spending 30% of your income on rent is gross income, not take-home.
Taxes, healthcare, retirement and other deductions
yeah it's rougher these days for sure. when I moved here, I made $18k and lived large. now I make 9x that and feel comfortable, but know that's not an attainable wage for most professions.
A lot of that is probably lifestyle creep. Right out of school, a bed frame and enough money for beer was living large. Now I make triple what I was and feel like I’m scraping by because I have a house and a car and eat out once a week with drinks.
Paycheck to paycheck
I do it by having grown up poor (I’m old poor not new poor as they say in always sunny in Philadelphia. haha) so I know how to live within my means and find deals in most things I spend money on. When I see what other pay for groceries I’m always like “damn that’s like 5x what I spend”. 🤣 So think it depends on your lifestyle and what you prioritize spending money on.
The grocery thing was a huge revelation to me. Like, what do you mean people have the same shopping list and they just go buy the same stuff regardless of the price??? I grew up buying essentials/freezeable stuffs on sale in bulk, and live off them until the next sale, so that's still what I do. When the basic necessities inflation hit I was so confused hearing people complain about it, because the amount I spent didn't really change.
Right! Always shop by coupon/sales first then it’s maybe a splurge to treat myself on things I want but can’t think of a time I just made a list without checking the deals at all. Haha. Glad I’m not the only one out there living the good life. 😁
My partner and i make a combined 65-70k/ year. Two bed/ 800 sq ft house. We don’t go out to eat a ton, and our free time is spent hiking more than going out and spending. We are not the most comfortable but more than we have been in awhile.
We got very lucky and bought a house that was run-down and hella ugly but completely structurally sound when the market wasn’t as insane (2018) and then refinanced when mortgage rates were at 3.2%. It means our mortgage payment for this place is way less than rent would be. Combined income is $120k/year, no kids, no car payment.
Luckily bought a tiny fixer house in a shit neighborhood in ‘08. So my mortgage is $1k. I work full time, don’t take fancy vacations, don’t see shows at the Moda, don’t eat at Le Pigeon, don’t have a car payment, wear used clothing. Now, if you want the high life in a great neighborhood with a big bungalow, probably at least $100k a piece sans children and assorted costs like daycare.
We do fine as a couple on basically 1 salary but we don't have kids and drive older cars (no car payments), and our only debt is my student loans. We only eat out together maybe once a week, plus maybe I'll get a drive thru meal on days I buy groceries. I don't know how people do it with kids and debt and car payments, I assume credit card debt might creep in, and I know how dangerous that can be
I make around $30 an hour as a cook. I live in a house with a roommate, don’t own a car and live cheaply.
You never been to California I presume.
Want the most abrupt and least inclusive response? Gain a skill that pays well if you don’t have the degree. Tech (which I hire for) and healthcare, two of the biggest money makers here in the area (aside from high end sales people which takes years and great luck, trust me. Oh yeah just become a doctor or lawyer, yeah right that’s not a flip of the switch). For Tech you can do coding boot camp. For healthcare you can go to scrub tech school through PCC. Both are affordable costs and typically result in six figure salaries within a few years if you’re smart, savvy, hustle, and advocate for yourself. Step 2: must max out at 2 kids unless you’re making over $200k. Even then, just max out at 2 for energy purposes ;) Step 3: don’t live in MultCo for tax purposes. Other surrounding areas are getting kind of “cool” now, like Beaverton. Step 4: don’t keep buying or leasing expensive cars. Sure, buy a nice Toyota/Subaru, pay it off, and keep it for 10+ years. Step 5: Stop drinking. Wine guzzling and cocktail loving adults cost about $500/mo just with that habit alone. Step 6: budget and start canceling stupid subscriptions. How many streaming services do you need? 3 houses sharing YouTubeTV and HBO is $32/mo each - you can easily pay $100 for those two if not careful. Go into Xfinity and check for promos regularly (just saved $36/mo by setting up a new account through my wife), just remember to set calendar reminders so you don’t get rate spikes. Start buying basic/essential clothes at Target instead of J Crew and Nordstrom. Subscribe and save on Amazon. Buy groceries at WinCo instead of Whole Paycheck and New Pretentious Seasons. Become a Costco member. Stop paying $150 for date night at a trendy spot on Hawthorne or the Pearl - drop $90 on a meal, go to Wallace Park and people watch then walk around and have bomb sex after. Step 7 sucks to write but staggering your longer or more exotic vacations kind of needs to be done especially for a family.
Best advice in this thread! I’ll add: Get a solid credit card that returns at least 2% rewards (like Fidelity Visa) and Chase Amazon Rewards to cut 5% there. Track and stick to your budget every month. If this is challenging then use a tool like Monarch to make it easier. But either way, do it. Expense everything you can at work. Now that most work is remote, some companies are more flexible. Pick a home that balances low cost, low taxes and just close enough to your needs to stay happy, whatever those are. Then gradually ratchet up to homes in nicer areas as your income and home value rises.
Smart!
If you bike everywhere, don’t participate in mainstream social activities, eat cheap, and live with roommates, you can afford to breathe the air here for about 25k.
The cost of living here is certainly more expensive then many small midwestern towns, but it is not expensive compared to most other cities, in fact it's one of the more affordable big cities on the west coast. Its cheaper than anywhere in the Bay Area by a huge margin, cheaper than LA, SD, Seattle, even cheaper than smaller cities like Bend.
Exactly, but it wouldn’t be Reddit without dumping on the hyperbole.
Thank you. When OP claimed it was among the highest in the nation, I thought for a moment I was still on the Los Angeles subreddit lol.
Got lucky to find an income restricted apartment in 2019, that I can’t ever afford to leave. I make 28k a year working for a non profit. I don’t have a car and don’t pay my student loans.
Understandable if you don't want to share, but what does you place run you a month?
Currently at 772.
The cost of living in Portland is not one of the highest in the country
Got luckily and bought a house before prices got crazy so my mortgage (including insurance and taxes) is only $1200/month. Two adults and one kid makes that not too bad. We definitely struggle but we save money by shopping sales and at Winco. Always shop around for things like car insurance and cell phones (mint mobile FTW). And I do side gigs as much as possible to make extra cash.
Portland is certainly not one the highest cost of living cities. That’s one of the reasons many people have moved here. NYC, LA, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, and many other big cities cost a lot more than Portland. It’s certainly getting more expensive, but still lots cheaper than others.
I’m homeless and working. It’s…not ideal.
Best wishes to you, I hope you're able to get a place soon
Thank you! Imma buy a van in a month. Just waiting on a couple paychecks. In the meantime being homeless actually fucking rules. I get to fall asleep under the stars, wake up to big fluffy clouds. Sleeping in concrete is amazing for my back and I’ve only been robbed once!
Ugh. This makes me so mad. Anyone who works over like 30 hours a week should be able to buy some type of home. Sometimes I wonder what the people who’s decisions drive all this income inequality—and its attending issues like homelessness and (I would argue) some people’s addictions and poor mental health—are thinking will happen in the long term. But the GOP especially, and other inside-the-beltway peeps, don’t think long-term. Not about the climate, not about the impact of banning abortion and (trying to ban) birth control. Like: what kind of life will these kids have, and what will be the cost? Same goes with refusing to switch to universal health care, or underfunding schools. WTF do they think will come of these decisions and policies??? Tangent there, sorry.
Hah. That was the best rant I’ve seen since Dennis Miller opened for Chumba Wumba to celebrate the new Samsung flip phone in 2010. Yeah, the problem is land in Portland is in a massive pricing bubble. Landlords barely scrape by because the property taxes are so high, but they can’t sell the property either, so they just get bitter and angry at their tenants, who get bitter and angry because they have to pay 75% of their income just to sleep inside.
Can we get it louder for the people in the back? You rule.
A lot of people live outside
It’s all relative I guess. We started to feel Seattle was getting too expensive so we moved down here to afford a better lifestyle
I make 50k with a roommate and do alright
I have lived here for a long time and bought property when it was less expensive
I’ve lived all over the country. For as beautiful as the scenery is and as good as the social supports are and how progressive the general population is, western Oregon is pretty affordable. I recently looked up my old one bedroom, one bath, 650 sqft. apartment in San Clemente, CA, which is kinda comparable to Newport, OR, that I used to pay $1000 a month for. $2500 now. For that tiny little place. The apartment I moved out of before I came to OR was $3300 for an approximately 1000 sqft. two bedroom and they were about the raise the rent another $400 to renew the lease. Honestly after all that, and after seeing what you actually have to endure to live cheap in the south, western Oregon ain’t looking so bad.
Live with my partner. No kids no pets. Don't have a $70k truck note.
120k for 2 adults no kids. Have a great 2-bed that I’m not going to tell my landlord he’s undercharging for. 1 car and the last $9k on my student loans. That affords us eating out 1-2 times a week, 2-3 vacations a year, retirement savings, and savings we’re going to put towards buying a house in my husband’s home country. Definitely felt like I could do more 8 years ago when I moved here on and we were making $85k/year but a chill local landlord when you can find them is an absolute game changer!
2 br apt in north portland, no kids, one cat. we make about $100k/yr and we are surviving just fine. Last year i lived in a studio by myself. I make 60 to 75k a year (shift work and tips vary), and i was comfortable in the apt.
Show us your budget
The biggest roadblock for me/my partner is we want to buy since we have dogs. Renting with dogs is difficult and we want the space for them to roam with a yard. The only houses I saw that were within our price range where the boat homes which are very cool, but maybe not for our lifestyle at the moment with the doggos. But about 80k-90k combined income, no kids, 5 animals, student loan debt.
We have minimized pets, children, and vehicles. We are also vegetarians which helps. We could live much larger elsewhere, but feel freer and happier living this way. Love it here.
Renter here. 73,000 a year with no kids. Rent is $760 a month in a shared apartment. The key to living here is to not have kids.
No kids but I have animals so renting would be hard, apartment life isn't very doable
I make like 20k a year, college student. Living in a 5 bedroom house with 7 people. I don’t think any of us would be able to afford living in studios or one bedrooms. Roommates are a requirement for those making under 35k
Don’t have kids
Already checked that box off but I have animals so apartment life is off the menu
50k is what it takes to make it in the city. Anything below and you are bunking it with a roommate. Helps to have a romantic partner you live with. If you cannot make more than 45k, moving out of the city and into Clackamas or out East is you option. Vancouver is slightly cheaper and is generally regarded as a less crime ridden area. Out of state, however and the bridge is no joke. Many management jobs meet that 50k a year threshold, luckily. Service industry jobs easily meet this threshold as well. Getting a certification in cyber security, which takes on average about a year, meets this threshold with mostly work-from-home jobs. Pharmacy tech gets you in the medical field, which starts off below the threshold but easily meets this. You can earn a technical degree within 8-12 months. It's very possible, but you must own your car outright or not have a car. You must not have children, and you either need quality insurance or no-pre-existing medical illnesses that directly increase your overhead. So, not possible for everyone, but it is possible for many people who move here, which is why people move here.
I wonder the same thing. I had to leave Portland for Hillsboro a few years ago. Jobs aren't paying well and cost of living has skyrocketed. I see apartments in Beaverton that start at $2700 a month, for an apartment... that's insane.
Beaverton has a lot of people with salaries from Nike and Intel, so that explains a large part of it
I'm pretty sure the median rent for a 2 BR apartment in most of the west suburbs passed Portland over the last five years. Definitely Beaverton, but I think Tigard and Hillsboro too.
Washington county is the most expensive county in Oregon.
Saw someone score a Beaverton area 2 bedroom for 1625 a month. For those looking checkout complexes that are not on the dynamic pricing, "change the asking rent every few hours" plan.
I live in a closet with papier-mâché walls that will become a pancake when the big one hits.
Don't go out to eat much, when you do go for a night pregame, bring a flask, and get cheap beer. Live with others. Depending on your standard, it's not that difficult if you are willing to sacrifice some things. For me I weighed the beauty of the place, people I have here, and entertainment and decided that it was worth it
Or just drink water
We've lived here since the mid 90s and were lucky to buy a house pretty cheaply in 2001. We make over $250k a year (4 humans, 4 cats and 2 dogs), but if we had a gigantic house payment it would be tough.
The two bedroom house my parents bought for $16k in 1973 is now estimated at $424k on Zillow. They sold it for around $70k in the early 1990s. It’s all absurd. Painfully so.
I’ve decided to stop talking to my “Old Portland” friends about this stuff, because it guts me every time. One of them bought what most people moving here now would consider a pretty nice little home, back in the 90s for some absurdly low amount. I believe it was like sub-$70k, if my shocked memory allows. Anyway, they sold the thing not too long ago for over 10 times that much. But to be fair, even what my wife and I bought our home for in 2017 is now absurdly low by today’s standards. So, there ya go.
I can remember my parents being shocked when their house was "supposedly" worth $110k when I was a kid. I ended up buying it from them during the pandemic for around $400k. They probably would've gotten a touch more than that on the open market at the time because people were still offering above asking sight unseen.
My partner and I have full time jobs.
What a crazy idea, am I right?
2 person income totaling $104k/year, $1650 for a 2/1 in west portland near Mult Village. From where i used to live this place is fucking paradise, i can afford a nice apartment, and save money! If i lived by myself i would still be able to afford it here, doricourt apartments, $850/month studio and GRIND.
DINK here. We’re very comfortable and secure at $175K a year.
Single income family of 5. 2bd 1.5ba townhouse. Rent is $1,500. Last year I grossed $73k. I’m paycheck to paycheck, but have 2 car payments and CC debt I’m slowly paying off. I can afford it.
I worked hard, went to grad school and took on a loan that took me a decade to pay off, but I did it and that definitely boosted my earning power. We got priced out of the Bay Area, so compared to that, Portland seems pretty affordable, even now. That’s the thing, it’s all relative.
Local wages are lower than most big cities, but costs are too in reality. Working a job that’s revenue is tied more globally or working remotely makes it very feasible. Like many places local work wages don’t match prices though
I moved here in 2013 for a job that started at $61k, and rent at my first apartment was $894. If I hadn't bought my house later that year, I don't think I could afford to live here anywhere but in a rented room, even with my salary doubling by 2022 (and certainly not now that I had to leave my job). When my ex moved out into a "studio plus" apartment near the South Park Blocks, his rent was the same as my mortgage for a 1650sf 4-bedroom house. It's crazy. My dad keeps telling me I should be excited that my house has doubled in value, but no; I'm not the least bit excited my city has become completely unlivable.
You either bought a house 30 years ago, or you make a shit load of money, or you live in a tent.
2 incomes, decent jobs. When we moved, we had a roommate and paid our dues for quit a while scraping by until we managed new jobs or raises to get comfortable. It was a process. 100k/year for 2 people seems reasonable, under that and you will be making some sacrifices either regarding location, amenities, or general lifestyle stuff. In my experience.
Buy 7 years ago. That’s the only reason we’re staying in PDX for now. I’d never buy in here at the prices due to the taxes and relatively low value.
I make 75k a year and my rent is 2k a month. It sucks. I definitely struggle and don't indulge in a lot of stuff that others do like hair, nails done, restaurants..
Almost $200k between the two of us, own, dildos (double income little dog owners). Neither one of us could've afforded to buy on our own and our rent was going up 20% annually so it made sense to buy. We live comfortably.
I saw the article for most expensive cities and Portland wasn’t one of them. They’re actually affordable compared to Seattle and NYC obviously.
Not easily...and I make 43k a year
I live a money-free existence.
I own a security company in Portland. Honestly, if we didn’t have such deep roots here now we’d have moved by now.
Portland is the 2nd cheapest place to live on the West Coast #1 is Fresno Ca…I don’t see many folks rushing to move there. I work in real estate and my wife in graphic design. Typical median incomes. Keep costs low. Don’t have any TV subscriptions, don’t go to bars, just enjoy the PNW and all its beauty.
Portlanders are delusional. I make a decent wage but to be part of the cool crowd. It's called being pushed out. Yup. Portland native.
As far as appealing west coast cities go, Portland is still very cheap. Far from the highest in the country. If you two are willing to get cozy, there's studios for around $800 a month and plenty of 1 bedrooms for around $1000/m (these are in cool neighborhoods). You can get by without a car if you're really trying to slim down the budget. You're not going to find much cheaper in any desirable city or town.
Make around 80k and live like im broke for most aspects of my life.
We are buying a house in Cully in NE Portland. I am a custom tile designer and installer. We are a car free family. We have a selection of bicycles, a couple of big e-bikes and a few different trailers for hauling stuff. We save easily over $20,000 a year without having a car. We don't drink either and save a lot there. I moved to Portland in my early 20s and this is the only place I have ever adulted and it's all I know. I have raised a family, bought homes and had a couple of different businesses. I love Portland and actively work to make it better. The cost is what it is.
Me and my girlfriend make ~110k combined and we’re very comfortable. However, we were at one point making about 75k combined, and we’re still decently comfortable. It’s seriously super easy to make at least 40k a year yourself here, tons of jobs paying $20/hr
I hate to break it to you, but most people cannot actually make it here. Saying that as someone thats lived here almost 4 years and moving right back where I came from. Between the cost of living, lack of consistent resources, and serious influx of seemingly senseless crime/violence it is way more stressful than all the beautiful nature can cure being here. I can't hold out for pdx to recover, g2g
Some of us living income restricted buildings people that make less than $40,000 with kids here seem to have a lot of programs people over 65 get a lot of senior too I guess it depends I'm sure people could argue with that I'm building says a single person under $40,000 a year is allowed to rent there's a nice one bedroom across from me for 1079 right now and has a nice balcony just like mine I believe the couples income cap set 52,000 the two bedrooms are like 1295 right now and they have a referral fee for all people that get approved the verify everybody's income so a lot of people lie about it and they get rejected but it's not so bad a lot of horror stories about this place but it's been cleaned up and maintain fairly well has issues like anybody else but overall I enjoy it overlook South Park blocks and is pretty beautiful on a nice day
200k
So when's the revolution, if we're all struggling and it's this hard to just survive we should do something about it right lol.
Affording to buy a house here is more of a problem than affording rent.
My partner and I both make a little under $30k a year and live in a small one bedroom with our cats. I'm trying my best to advance my career, but the job market is garbage right now. OHP and food handouts at the park help.
I can’t remember the exact figure, but they said on the news recently a single person needed to make about $109k a year to live comfortably in Portland. That is outrageous, but of course a lot of this is subjective. It all depends on what the individual considers comfortable.
Where the hell are all of you getting such good paying jobs at. Am I the only one with a combined household income of $35k? We're fucking struggling.
mostly by mooching off my partner, tbh. we’re both technically homeless ig, but she stays at the hotel she works at, & i stay when she can afford the fee for a second person. i do freelance art but haven’t had any luck with steady jobs (even combined, we wouldn’t hit the third of wages thing that most legit places require). kinda sucks lol
The cost of living and wages are terrible nationally, coming from someone who travels the country for work. It’s actually awful. There are pros and cons for everywhere you go. Inflation is going up everywhere and the wages are not keeping up. It’s a problem across many work industries, living in urban, suburban, or rural areas, living in different parts of the country, etc. For example, I lived somewhere between suburban and rural in the Midwest, and the prices of everything are high and have been growing, but the pay is on the very low end with no hope in sight. Portland is not a whole lot better or worse than anywhere else, in my opinion, and there are pros and cons to literally anywhere. For myself personally, I’d make more money living here, but I’d have approximately the same living expenses. You definitely do have to do your research for a career that will make decent money without putting you in too much debt, and make sacrifices on wants in this current economy. It’s manageable, but idk, I really hope the economy starts improving because with the amount of money my husband and I make combined, we would easily be more than comfortable, maybe even living lavishly, if it was even just 5 or 6 years ago, but now we’re just trying to climb our way out of debt in an economy that’s fighting us every day.
I’m… not. I have super low (for Portland) rent, and a decent office job but I am NOT breaking even. My credit card debt is out of hand cause this city is so expensive
Damn I'm sorry. I appreciate you posting because a lot of folks post here like it's fine I make 200k and I'm like 🙃 That isn't reality for most folks
My wife and I have 4 roommates
6 people 1 roof? name checks out jkjk, wife and I are at 2 roomies, any more and i might have to go take a long dip in the river, but bills are much more manageable, mortgage is low and we can finally start putting money into the house
Yeah it's definitely a lot sometimes, but we're able to save up for our own place some day this way, and we live with friends and help them pay their mortgage instead of paying some random landlord.
yeah, thats almost the exact same situation here too, friend of a friend type situation. One can be...alot sometimes, the other is a dream hahaha. I hope you get that place asap, we have 10 years left on our mortgage and are thinking of re-negotiating soon to get it even lower, freedom is so close for us and itll be so soon for you too :)
Comfortable salary for two people? Man, that depends on your largest expense- housing. You getting a condo, apartment, house? Buying/renting? Where in town? People afford Portland the same way someone would afford San Francisco, L.A., N.Y. - within their means.
Wife and worked hard for 10 years to grow our earnings. Lived within our means throughout. Bought home outside of Portland proper. Dialed in a budget and stuck with it. Practiced responsibility to not have children in our 20’s before our foundation was established. Now living comfortably, enjoying the things we like and entertaining growing our family. I see these post all the time and it slightly baffles me. Either your lifestyle desires do not align with your career in its current time, or you have a not diligently put together a budget, and stuck with it based around your current situation. I’m not saying one should be able to just buy a home, car etc… but expectation properly aligned with reality should not make this that difficult. Both of us do not have degrees and have been in our industries for 10+ years starting at an entry level desk/labor position. It is possible.
Combined 130K allowed us to live semi-comfortably in a 2br apartment in Beaverton. Even then though it took serious budgeting and good spending habits to build a savings.
Bro you're tripping. I make a third of that on a single income living in inner SE and still save 15% gross, no budgeting. What, are you leasing two new cars?
Car loans are crazy too!
Car loan, partnered, paying off debt with a dog. It sounds like you live a different life.
maybe they have debt
Right but having debt has nothing to do with living in Portland. If they moved they'd still have debt.
I was raised in poverty. I now make $88k while paying $550 for car+insurance, $1595 for rent+utilities, and $350 for student loans. I eat out at fancy restaurants 5-7 nights a week, go to cocktail/beer bars every weekend, travel out of state monthly. I won’t live long enough to need much savings due to a disease. I still put aside $900/month. No pets. The people on here with my income “scrimping and saving” are either fully lying or consider living in a high-end city and going to fancy restaurants as “scrimping”. Anyone with less income, it’s gonna be tough if you also spend a lot on a luxury car and luxury dinners.
Bc It’s immensely cheaper than where I came from.
It was a bit of a struggle before my wife and I got together and hopped on the dual income train. I wish you the best.
Live with other people. There are lots of places that have rooms available.
this an entirely vibes base response: assuming two people, living only with each other, 1bd \~70,000 combined household income So basically both need to be a 2000 hours a year and at least minimum wage. Obviously this gets much easier if you can get to 20/hr. I don't think you could swing a 2 bedroom on that, and you'd need to share one older car, ideally commuting by bus, bike, walking and just using the car for longer trips.
Idk about "highest in the country". If that's the case it cant be much higher than the average. I came here from Iowa which is pretty low on the cost of living, and the only thing that was significantly higher was gas.
I share an apartment with my spouse and my bills account for 60% of my income