Comparing Washington and Oregon

Your move from Washington to Oregon will remain consistent in most aspects. However, each state is different in a few important areas:

• Cost of Living: You’ll come to find that Oregon has a drastically lower cost of living compared to Washington, which includes the cost of real estate, groceries, childcare, etc.   
• Taxes: The biggest change when moving from Washington to Oregon is how much you pay in taxes. Washington does not require citizens to pay state or local income taxes. When you move to Oregon, you can expect to pay 5-9% on all taxable income.
• Open Space: You’ll notice in Oregon, small-cities and rural areas make up one-third of the population. Compared to Washington, which is home to higher populated urban areas.

It’s important to investigate important financial factors so you are prepared to handle your new cost of living, but also to understand the community you are about to make your home.

Finding Activities and Open Spaces

It’s important that you engage your new community by finding fun activities. To get a start on that, we have come up with a list of top things to do and see in Oregon:

• Mount Hood National Forest: Peaking at 11,000 feet, Mount Hood is Oregon’s largest mountain and is home to 1.2 million acres of natural beauty. There are 4 designated wilderness areas, and includes over 1,200 miles of trails.  

• Crater Lake National Park: Located 240 miles south of Portland, within the Cascade Mountains, Crater Lake National Park is consistently one of the most visited parks in Oregon. Beautiful views and easy-to-walk trails makes the roughly 4 hour drive worth it.  

• MODA Center: Located in Downtown Portland, the MODA Center is open year-round and is home to many musical acts, comedy shows, and the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA, whose season runs from Mid-October through June.

No matter your interests, Oregon is full of limitless activities that will make you glad you made the move.