Housing and tax tradeoff: Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon comes out ahead here on rent burden and tax burden. This only compares rent burden, rent, home price, and estimated state tax burden; it is not a total cost-of-living ranking.
New Here?
Compare Asheville and 2 other shortlist cities on cost, climate, safety, and daily life
The cards open full city pages. The charts and matrix below are the fast side-by-side read on housing, climate, walkability, safety, schools, parks, and day-to-day tradeoffs.
AshevilleBuffaloPortland
What Stands Out
A quick read on this comparison
Deterministic summaries based on the data in view.
Biggest tradeoff: Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina is the sharpest split in this comparison: strong on sunshine, weaker on safety.
Potential dealbreaker: Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York needs a closer look before you get too attached, especially on tax burden.
Comparison Matrix
| City | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Route | |||
| General Info | |||
| Population | 93,695 | 258,071 | 652,503 |
| Population Density | N/A | N/A | 4.8k /sq mi |
| Center Elevation | 2,129 ft(649 m) | 600 ft(183 m) | 39 ft(12 m) |
| Housing & Wealth | |||
| Median Home | $451,201 | $232,182 | $516,539 |
| Median Rent | $1,781 | $1,366 | $1,722 |
| Median Income | $63,810 | $46,184 | $85,876 |
| Rent Burden | 33% | 35% | 24% |
| Climate & Risks | |||
| Days with 5+ Hours of Sun | 309 days/yr | 269 days/yr | 262 days/yr |
| Avg. High | 67°F | 57°F | 63°F |
| Avg. Low | 45°F | 44°F | 46°F |
| Comfort Score | 66/100Good | 49/100Mixed | 73/100Great |
| Temp Swing | 38°F | 44°F | 39°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 42"(107 cm) | 40.68"(103 cm) | 36.92"(94 cm) |
| Annual Snowfall | 8"(20 cm) | 95.4"(242 cm) | 4.2"(11 cm) |
| Air Quality | Typical: 462024 modeled avg · 3 days > 100 | Typical: 452024 modeled avg · 8 days > 100 | Typical: 372024 modeled avg · 1 days > 100 |
| Infrastructure & Lifestyle | |||
| Walkability | 37 | 67 | 67 |
| Transit Score | 28 | 47 | 49 |
| Safety Score | 51 / 100 | 55 / 100 | 55 / 100 |
| School Rating | 6.4/10 | 2.8/10 | 5.9/10 |
| Flood Risk (FEMA) | minimalMinimal Risk | minimalMinimal Risk | moderateModerate Risk |
| Central Tract Wildfire Risk | minimalMinimal | unknownNo Data | unknownNo Data |
| Internet Access | Fiber: 37%Cable: 93% | Fiber: 59%Cable: 97% | Fiber: 76%Cable: 99% |
| Demographics | |||
| Median Age | 40.5 years | 33.9 years | 38.3 years |
| College Educated | 51% | 30% | 53% |
| Remote Workers | 17% | 8% | 22% |
| Nature Access | |||
| Local Nature & Reserves | Finding... | Finding... | Finding... |
| Scouting & Local Help | |||
Housing and local helpA practical next step once someone starts picturing the move. | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Asheville. One featured slot per city | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Buffalo. One featured slot per city | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Portland. One featured slot per city |
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