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 3 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.
AshevilleDuluthBuffaloPortland
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 | 86,772 | 258,071 | 652,503 |
| Population Density | N/A | 1.2k /sq mi | N/A | 4.8k /sq mi |
| Center Elevation | 2,129 ft(649 m) | 702 ft(214 m) | 600 ft(183 m) | 39 ft(12 m) |
| Housing & Wealth | ||||
| Median Home | $451,201 | $279,279 | $232,182 | $516,539 |
| Median Rent | $1,781 | $1,901 | $1,366 | $1,722 |
| Median Income | $63,810 | $63,545 | $46,184 | $71,498 |
| Rent Burden | 33% | 36% | 35% | 29% |
| Climate & Risks | ||||
| Days with 5+ Hours of Sun | 309 days/yr | 278 days/yr | 269 days/yr | 262 days/yr |
| Avg. High | 67°F | 52°F | 57°F | 63°F |
| Avg. Low | 45°F | 37°F | 44°F | 46°F |
| Comfort Score | 66/100Good | 26/100Challenging | 49/100Mixed | 73/100Great |
| Temp Swing | 38°F | 56°F | 44°F | 39°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 42"(107 cm) | 31.18"(79 cm) | 40.68"(103 cm) | 36.92"(94 cm) |
| Annual Snowfall | 8"(20 cm) | 90.2"(229 cm) | 95.4"(242 cm) | 4.2"(11 cm) |
| Air Quality | Typical: 462024 modeled avg · 3 days > 100 | Typical: 432024 modeled avg · 15 days > 100 | Typical: 452024 modeled avg · 8 days > 100 | Typical: 322024 modeled avg · 1 days > 100 |
| Infrastructure & Lifestyle | ||||
| Walkability | N/A | 36 | N/A | N/A |
| Transit Score | N/A | 33 | N/A | 93 |
| Safety Score | 51 / 100 | 72 / 100 | 55 / 100 | 55 / 100 |
| School Rating | 6.4/10 | 6.3/10 | 2.8/10 | 5.9/10 |
| Flood Risk (FEMA) | minimalMinimal Risk | minimalMinimal Risk | minimalMinimal Risk | moderateModerate Risk |
| Central Tract Wildfire Risk | minimalMinimal | N/A | N/A | minimalMinimal |
| Internet Access | Fiber: 37%Cable: 93% | Fiber: 4%Cable: 79% | Fiber: 59%Cable: 97% | Fiber: 76%Cable: 99% |
| Demographics | ||||
| Median Age | 40.5 years | 34.7 years | 33.9 years | 38.3 years |
| College Educated | 51% | 41% | 30% | 53% |
| Remote Workers | 17% | 9% | 8% | 22% |
| Nature Access | ||||
| Local Nature & Reserves | Finding... | 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 Duluth. 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 |
Frequently Checked Pairings
City pairings people keep checking.
See the city pairings people come back to most, then open the full side-by-side comparison when one matches your shortlist.
Compare
365 logged
Chicago, IL & New York, NY
Demand-backed pageOpen
Compare
286 logged
Boston, MA & Chicago, IL
Demand-backed pageOpen
Compare
254 logged
Los Angeles, CA & New York, NY
Demand-backed pageOpen
Compare
237 logged
Colorado Springs, CO & Fort Collins, CO
Demand-backed pageOpen
Compare
237 logged
Barcelona, Spain & Madrid, Spain
Demand-backed pageOpen
Compare
211 logged
Mexico City, Mexico & San Diego, CA
Demand-backed pageOpen
Latest Editorial
New from WhyThere.
Essays and data-led lenses on climate, cost, geography, and the shape of daily life.
Collections
Browse the strongest WhyThere lenses.
Collections group cities around a decision lens, not just a category.
Climate LensWarm Leaning
No Real Winter
Cities where cold rarely takes over daily life.
Open collection
Climate LensHigh Elevation
The Altitude Hack
Sunny highland cities that stay much milder than you expect.
Open collection
Climate LensExpectation Breaker
Surprisingly Soggy
Places that quietly out-rain their sunny reputations.
Open collection