Compare / Portland to San Diego
Portland, OR vs San Diego, CA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $945 a month in Portland.
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 Fair Market Rent. The 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gap is $945: San Diego is higher at $2,823 versus $1,878.
Oregon taxes wages at rates up to 9.90%. California taxes wages at rates up to 13.30%. Combined sales tax differs by 9.0 percentage points, higher in California. The effective property tax gap is 0.08 percentage points, higher in Oregon.
After a move from Oregon to California, 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 $79,600 in San Diego 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
San Diego
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,823
- HUD area
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $2,336
- All-items price parity
- 111.9
- Goods price parity
- 108.0
- Utilities price parity
- 174.2
- Mean commute
- 26.1 min
- Median household income
- $109,132
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.
$79,600
Salary in San Diego that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$75,542
Gross salary in San Diego whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$112,740
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 | California |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 9.90% | up to 13.30% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 0.0% | 9.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.78% | 0.71% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $3,132 a year in Oregon and $2,828 in California. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in California
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Oregon and once in California. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
PortlandLikely eligible
San DiegoLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
PortlandLikely eligible
San DiegoLikely eligible
WIC
PortlandLikely eligible
San DiegoLikely eligible
School meals
PortlandLikely eligible
San DiegoLikely eligible
LIHEAP
PortlandMaybe
San DiegoMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
PortlandLikely eligible
San DiegoLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
PortlandLikely eligible
San DiegoLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
PortlandUnlikely
San DiegoUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
PortlandLikely eligible
San DiegoLikely eligible
SSI
PortlandUnlikely
San DiegoUnlikely
| Program | Portland | San Diego |
|---|---|---|
| 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 McAllen · rent gap $861
- Portland and Wichita · rent gap $835
- Portland and Little Rock · rent gap $757
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.