May Relocate to Portland (appointed, apartments, rental)

[nycricanpapi]

Hi everyone, I may relocate to Portland due to a new job. Right now i live Washington DC. Is Portland more cheap than DC? How much do I need to make in order to live comfortably? What is the price to rent an apartment/room/house over there? What areas(neighborhoods) do you recommend me to live in?

[oregonwoodsmoke]

For a start, its not an area where you will be expected to be capable of taking care of yourself, but at the very least you should be able to look up the listings for apartments for yourself instead of asking strangers to do it for you.



Other than rent, you can keep your cost of living down if you are a good shopper. Rent, you can't do much about except to pay it, but there are cheaper places and expensive places for groceries, so you can control your food costs.


Gasoline is high. Not the highest in the country, but it is up near the top of the list, so consider your commute before you pick a place to live.


If you like hiking and camping and sightseeing, you can keep your entertainment costs relatively low. Portland has some nice outdoor festivals that don't cost anything to go and look.


I am going to assume that rent is high in DC, so maybe you are already accustomed to paying out big money for rent. Portland is not the most expensive place for rent in the US, but it is up close to the top of the list.

[ejisme]

It will more likely be cheaper to rent in the Portland metro area vs. D.C. I looked fairly hard at D.C. for a job promotion opportunity a couple years ago and backed out over the cost of living in the D.C. area. Housing was the main COL issue in D.C. that turned me off the move, and the style of housing and size of lots. Anyway, you can explore many housing and apartment rental sites and get an idea of costs in the Portland area. Much will depend on where your work location will be: Downtown, NE, NW, SE, SW, etc. Where you choose to live should also be convenient to commute to work. I've visited D.C. a few times, so am aware of your traffic issues. They will likely be much easier in Portland, but still there are bottlenecks, and living crosstown or across the river from your daily work can make for a more difficult commute. Portland has a pretty good mass transit system, so that should also figure into your living location if you need to depend on it to get to work.

I'd say move to Portland. I grew up in the area and still have most of my family in there, so still visit several times a year. I also lived in Williamsburg, VA, and made a few pleasure and work trips to D.C. during my time there. The weather in Portland won't really be a shock. Maybe a bit wetter in the fall/winter, but much, much more pleasant spring and summer months. Why not go and live on the other coast and see a bit more of America on your company's dime?

Anyway, if you give us a bit more info about you, your work, housing desires, kids, spouse, single, etc., we can likely give you better answers, and you'll attract more people to respond.

Good Luck

[StealthRabbit]

#1, where is the job? Or where do you need to be near. Live within walking distance if possible.

Once we know the area, we can provide specific choices for you to consider living. Otherwise, we're guessing, and you will be disappointed in our ability to read minds. (Interests, recreation, transportation, food desires, medical access, proximity to friends or mass transit, terrain (if walking or biking). Maybe your job is at VA or OHSU. Tough to live near, or to bike to work.