Moving from Des Moines to Portland
Moving to Portland costs you $567 a month
−$6,804 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Des Moines leftover
$2,893
a month after tax and rent
Portland leftover
$2,326
−$567 vs Des Moines
In 2022-2023, 28 households moved Des Moines → Portland (avg AGI $62,000). The whole move →
| Per month | Des Moines | Portland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,500 | $8,203 | +$703 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,764 | $2,406 | +$642 |
| Take-home pay | $5,736 | $5,797 | +$61 |
| Rent | $1,005 | $1,417 | +$412 |
| Getting around | $533 | $517 | −$16 |
| Groceries | $360 | $424 | +$64 |
| Healthcare | $405 | $477 | +$72 |
| Utilities | $225 | $265 | +$40 |
| Everything else | $315 | $371 | +$56 |
| Left over | $2,893 | $2,326 | −$567 |
To break even in Portland, you'd need to earn
$109,500
Household gross, versus $90,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Des Moines does now.
The tax difference alone
−$5,207
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 23.5% in Des Moines, 29.3% in Portland.
More about Portland
Des Moines, IA in full
Insurance-sector wages against the lowest housing costs on this list.
Portland, OR in full
No sales tax, high income tax, and nine months of grey.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Portland on Portland wages.
Portland → Des Moines →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Portland than Des Moines?
A one-bedroom is about $1,005 in Des Moines versus $1,417 in Portland. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $567 a month lower in Portland. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Portland have state income tax?
Portland is in Oregon, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Des Moines to Portland?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Oregon tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.