Portland, OR vs Raleigh, NC
Simple answer
You'd likely save $189 a month in Raleigh.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is housing prices. The BEA housing price parity differs by 21.6 points (Portland 125.1, Raleigh 103.5).
Oregon taxes wages at rates up to 9.90%. North Carolina taxes wages at a flat 3.99%. Combined sales tax differs by 7.0 percentage points, higher in North Carolina. The effective property tax gap is 0.17 percentage points, higher in Oregon.
After a move from Oregon to North Carolina, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Portland lines up with about $69,832 in Raleigh on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Portland
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,878
- HUD area
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,767
- All-items price parity
- 105.4
- Goods price parity
- 105.2
- Utilities price parity
- 107.0
- Mean commute
- 25.4 min
- Median household income
- $98,994
Raleigh
Raleigh-Cary, NC
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,689
- HUD area
- Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,674
- All-items price parity
- 98.2
- Goods price parity
- 96.6
- Utilities price parity
- 89.0
- Mean commute
- 27.4 min
- Median household income
- $102,144
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$69,832
Salary in Raleigh that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$64,427
Gross salary in Raleigh whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$67,452
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Oregon | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 9.90% | 3.99% flat |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 0.0% | 7.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.78% | 0.61% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $3,132 a year in Oregon and $2,455 in North Carolina. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in North Carolina
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Oregon and once in North Carolina. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
PortlandLikely eligible
RaleighLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
PortlandLikely eligible
RaleighLikely eligible
WIC
PortlandLikely eligible
RaleighLikely eligible
School meals
PortlandLikely eligible
RaleighLikely eligible
LIHEAP
PortlandMaybe
RaleighMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
PortlandLikely eligible
RaleighLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
PortlandLikely eligible
RaleighLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
PortlandUnlikely
RaleighUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
PortlandLikely eligible
RaleighLikely eligible
SSI
PortlandUnlikely
RaleighUnlikely
| Program | Portland | Raleigh |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Portland
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Portland.
- Portland and San Francisco · rent gap $1,819
- Portland and San Jose · rent gap $1,394
- Portland and Boston · rent gap $1,130
- Portland and New York · rent gap $1,093
- Portland and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,086
- Portland and San Diego · rent gap $945
- Portland and McAllen · rent gap $861
- Portland and Wichita · rent gap $835
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.