Oregon is widely known for beauty, culture, rabid sports fans, serious rain, and happy, laid back citizens. With all that great stuff, is it even possible to find an affordable place to live? Though it may seem surprising, the Movoto Real Estate Blog has discovered that it’s possible, and all it cost us to find out was a little time. In fact, there’s not just one place where you can live without emptying your savings—there are at least 10. Where? Those cheap-yet-amazing places to live are:
1. City of Springfield
2. City of Dallas
3. City of Keizer
4. City of Woodburn
5. City of Eugene
6. City of Coos Bay
7. City of Lebanon
8. City of Pendleton
9. City of Damascus
10. City of Salem
We’re not playing favorites or holding grudges—it’s all by the numbers, we swear. To be a little clearer, let’s take a look at how exactly we got these results, and why these places are just the best value for your hard-earned money.
To find affordability, we turned to simple data to get our results. To get those numbers, we first compiled a list of all the places in Oregon that had a population of at least 10,000 people, which happened to be 45 places. Then we rounded up data about these places from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey in seven different criteria:
We then took the numbers in those criteria and ranked them from 1 to 45, with 1 being the best. We then averaged those rankings together into one big Big Deal Score, and Springfield came out on top. You may be wondering where your hometown placed. You may be able find that out by looking at the full rankings near the bottom of this article. While many places were great, there were an obvious top 10, which we’ll look at more in depth right now.
“Old railroad depot, Springfield, Oregon”byRobert Ashworthis licensed underCC BY 2.0
When it comes saving your pennies without giving up any fun, Springfield takes the cake. One of the reasons that a lot of the fun things to do here are inexpensive is that the city is pretty river-centric. There’s fishing, swimming of all sorts (augmented by the existence of their water park Splash), and boating to be had, and much of it you can do for very cheap or even free. Getting a little more mathematical, the city that boasts a proud history and a bright future does indeed look shiny. The cost of food, cost of utilities, and miscellaneous cost of living all rank No. 1 on our overall list. The median home price isn’t half bad either and ranks No 10th at an average of $177,700. We’ll admit, Springfield’s adjusted income is low at $36,937, but with all the deals to be had that means that even without an intensely high-paying job you can still live happily and comfortably here.
“New Oregon welcome sign”byOregon Department of Transportationis licensed underCC BY 2.0
Not to be confused with much larger and more expensive Dallas, TX, this Oregonian home to 14,583 offers folks the ability to save their cash and still live the good life. In particular, foodies don’t have to worry about giving up any quality in this city, considering the cost of food is ranked fourth overall. As far as getting a job? No sweat. The unemployment rate here is a very low 7.5 percent. Things to do aren’t particularly sparse either. You can play disc golf with friends, visit the beautiful arboretum, or even find some very affordable cuisine to nosh. El Pique Taqueria Family Restaurant has inexpensive food that still stands up in quality according to its outstanding reviews. There are special discounts for students, too.
“Oregon 99 - Newberg/Dundee”byOregon Department of Transportationis licensed underCC BY 2.0
The 36,478 people who call this city home have nothing to fear when it comes to paying the bills. The adjusted median household income is a comfortable $49,898, and the unemployment rate is 9.1 percent, which means most people are thriving through their work. Beyond that, the general costs in this place are low. The cost of utilities came in eighth and the miscellaneous cost of living came in an impressive fifth. Of course, even for a hard working city this place still knows how to stop and smell the flowers. The Iris Festival is held here every year, and includes a carnival, concerts, competitions, and, of course, a parade. For the rest of the year, residents can participate in many community events, enjoy the lovely parks, and take a tour of the historic school house, all without spending a dime.
If you want some local color for low fees, then look no further than 24,080 population Woodburn. This city is home of Wooden Shoe Tulip farms and a one-month-long Tulip fest. For a very low admission fee, visitors to the farm can enjoy beautiful flowers, enjoy many attractions for kids and adults alike, and even pick their own bouquet while wrapped in a world of sweet-smelling color. Woodburn is yet another example of how low costs can really keep a place affordable. The cost of utilities is tied with Dallas and Keizer for No. 8 overall, and the miscellaneous cost of living is tied with Keizer again at No. 5. Unlike those other places, however, the median home price stands alone in eighth place, with the average home costing a very reasonable $173,300.
Easily the most populated in our top 10, Eugene has a lot to offer its 156,185 locals. Its cost of food, utilities, and miscellaneous costs of living are all tied with Springfield at No. 1 and the unemployment rate is fairly low at 8.3 percent. The only real reason this place didn’t score much higher on our list is that the adjusted income here is only $38,973. Still, with all those great prices it’s still pretty easy to enjoy life in the big city. Given that it’s so big, it makes sense that Eugene is pretty much a festival paradise. No matter what you want to celebrate, you can probably find it here for a very low (or no) entry fee. Whether you like to sip wine and gaze at sophisticated art, or whether you want to run for this year’s Slug Queen, this is the place for you to party.
The city of Coos Bay has some amazing perks, just by the numbers. Affordability is the name of the game, with cost of food, cost of utilities, and miscellaneous cost of living all scoring within the top five in those criteria. Buying a house there isn’t too daunting either, and the median house price in Coos Bay places No. 8 for that ranking. If you love food, this city has exactly what you’ve been hankering for. This place doesn’t just have an all-incorporated food festival; it has many. Depending on the time of year, you can find festivals celebrating crab, clams, seafood in general, blackberry, cranberry, and local produce. Basically, if you can eat it, Coos Bay probably has a party about it.
Lebanon boasts great affordability with some seriously good scores across the board. The cost of utilities is low at eighth place, the miscellaneous cost of living is even lower ar fifth place, and the median home price is very low and ranks fifth.With all of that going for it, Lebanon certainly lives up to its slogan, because financially “it’s easier from here.” Things to do aren’t hard to find here, either. There’s a massive strawberry festival that features a carnival, parade, and lots of tasty goodies to sample. The rest of the year, people looking for an inexpensive way to unwind can enjoy one of the 17 parks or enjoy the nearby Cheadle Lake.
This city of 16,612 still has a lot of Wild West feel to it—without any sort of stagecoach or highway robbery. Pendleton is home to the more than 100 year old Pendleton Round-Up. This includes a rodeo, massive parade, and celebration of native cultures and the city’s history. Packages for this event can be very affordable for locals looking to save a buck or two while watching some cowboys get bucked by broncos. Beyond the rootin-tootin festivities, this city is just plain comfy for thrifty folks. The cost of food is low and ranks No. 4 for that category, and the unemployment rate is a low 7.6 percent. People looking to buy a home here will also be delighted to find that the median home price is only $140,200, which is the lowest price in our top 10. To live, eat, and play inexpensively, Pendleton has something for everyone.
Damascus is home to some hard-working and very well paid people, and that makes it a shoo in for No. 9 on our list. The unemployment rate here is only 7.7 percent, and the median household income is a very pleasant $76,477, so if you’re working in this city, you’re probably making a good wage. Even with that high income, things are still pretty inexpensive here. The miscellaneous cost of living rank is No. 12 for that criterion and the cost of utilities is also No. 12, making this one seriously affordable place to be. Lovers of fresh local produce will be thrilled to see that Damascus also has a massive farmer’s market every week starting in May, featuring live music. Once a year the city also holds Day in Damascus, a family friendly event featuring games, pony rides, food, and more. The community here is very strong, and still has a small town feel to it that residents can baskin, probably owing partially to the fact that it just became a city in 2004.
One of the bigger cities we looked at, with a population of 154,637, Salem rounds out the top 10 list with a couple of really great perks. The cost of food here is fairly low, and the miscellaneous cost of living is tied for No. 5 on our list for that ranking. The median home price is very decent too, which means this is an affordable place to settle down, both in housing and price of living. Just because it’s affordable doesn’t mean this place doesn’t have tons to do. There’s the local Salem Saturday Market, where shoppers can hunt for bargains and there are farmers markets on wednesdays during the summer. There are countless food and wine festivals throughout the year, and people looking for a bite away from fairgrounds can find it at China Gourmet, where the hot and sour soup is super spicy and tasty.
While there are some places that soar when it comes to affordability and livability, there are indeed a few spots that just don’t have that kind of flying power. Ashland may have an amazing Shakespeare festival, but houses come at a high cost to residents with a median home price of $408,400. McMinnville also didn’t do too well when it came to keeping things cheap, with the average cost of food and the miscellaneous cost of living both coming in at No. 44 on our list. The big city of Portland is our third least-affordable place, due to high cost of food, low adjusted income, and high median home price. Considering that Oregon is such a great place to live, it’s nice to know that there are still some options for the thrifty and hard-working folks out there. 
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