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Have you ever wondered what living on the Oregon Coast would be like? You aren't alone. It's one of the more popular destinations for those looking to move to and retire in Oregon. With abundant outdoor recreation and breathtaking views, it's no wonder people want to explore living on the Oregon Coast.
One of the most significant considerations if exploring moving to the area would be the cost of living. If you're researching online, you'll find a lot of inaccurate information on the cost of living on the Oregon Coast. Often those numbers aren't being computed with today's prices or aren't factoring in all the actual costs someone should expect. To give you the REAL cost of living on the Oregon Coast, I examined 14 of the biggest towns stretching from Astoria in the north down to Brookings in the south. I added the cost of all the below monthly expenses by city and summarized and ranked each town from most affordable to least affordable. Below is a summary of the costs and how I came up with the numbers.
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Cost Summary/Explanation
Housing > I list two numbers for each town. The cost of living to rent and the cost of living to buy:
Rent: I researched multiple rental websites to come up with a realistic rental amount on the lower end. Numbers were for a one-bedroom or studio if I could find one. Any utilities that were included were factored into the utility costs below. There were a couple of towns where there was no rental available. I did my best to approximate the price to give readers some idea.
Buy: I researched multiple sales/for sale websites to determine what it would take to buy a small starter home. I looked at three-bedroom single-family homes only. To figure out the monthly payment, I assumed good credit, today's interest rate, and a 20% down payment and calculated the principal and interest along with taxes and insurance. For property taxes, I got the info online. For homeowners insurance, I used lemonade.com.
Utilities > I estimated it takes $440 a month to pay for cell phone, internet, cable, water, sewer, garbage, electricity, and gas. If any utilities were included with the rental, I deducted $ to account for that.
Transportation > I found a 2011 Hyundai for sale from an online dealer for $6,995 that got good mileage and seemed in good condition. I used the five-year amortized payment for this car which was $136 a month. I figured 10,000 miles at $.40/per mile to pay for gas/maintenance and $70 a month for car insurance (the average price I found looking at multiple companies). The total transportation cost is $539 a month.
Healthcare > I used $368 a month as my estimated average employee contribution and out-of-pocket expenses in 2022* for healthcare. If you are a retiree, between Medicare, supplemental insurance, and out-of-pocket expenses, your total will likely be higher than this and go up as you age. For simplicity, we're going to use $368 for this blog post.
Taxes > I figured 25% for taxes which would be very close for the income I was looking at for this. This includes Federal, State, Social Security, and Workers Comp.
Food > This was the biggest surprise to me. I searched online at three different Fred Meyer and Safeway locations on the Oregon Coast, Astoria, Coos Bay, and Brookings. I then went into the Tualatin Fred Meyer to validate what I saw online. All four stores were within $4 of each other for the below groceries, which I determined would feed just about anyone for a month and do it way healthier than the average diet. The total cost to feed someone for a month was just $186.34. For my purpose, I added $50 for extras someone would want/need. In researching this, I inadvertently searched the Crescent City, CA, Safeway. Costs there were 20% higher than all locations in Oregon I looked at.
Other > For all other items one would need to live such as clothing, personal care items... I estimated $250 a month.
Living on the Oregon Coast > Most Affordable to Least Affordable
#1 Warrenton, Oregon > The REAL cost of living in Warrenton, Oregon, is $40,000 a year to rent and $69,000 to buy (#10 to buy). The cost for a one-bedroom rental if you live in Warrenton, Oregon, is $800 a month with water, sewer and garbage included. To live in Warrenton, Oregon, and buy a three-bedroom home, you're looking at around $375,000, giving you a monthly payment of approximately $2,185 with property taxes and insurance. For more information on visiting and living in Warrenton, Oregon, click here.
#2 Tillamook, Oregon > The REAL cost of living in Tillamook, Oregon, is $42,000 a year to rent and $64,000 to buy (#3 to buy). To rent a one-bedroom and live in Tillamook will set you back $900 a month with water, sewer and garbage included. If you want to live in Tillamook, Oregon, and buy a 3-bedroom home it would set you back $325,000, giving you a monthly payment of approximately $1,894 with property taxes and hazard insurance included. For more information on visiting and living in Tillamook, Oregon, click here.
# 3 Coos Bay, Oregon > The REAL cost of living in Coos Bay, Oregon, is $42,000 a year to rent and $60,000 to buy (#1 to buy). To rent the cost of living in Coos Bay, Oregon, is just slightly more than in Tillamook. To rent a one-bedroom and live in Coos Bay will set you back $925 a month with water, sewer and garbage included. To live in Coos Bay, Oregon, and buy a 3-bedroom home you can expect to pay $300,000, giving you a monthly payment of $1701 with taxes and insurance included. For more information on visiting and living in Coos Bay, Oregon, click here.
#4 North Bend, Oregon > The REAL cost of living in North Bend, Oregon, is $47,000 a year to rent and $65,000 to buy (#4 to buy). To live in North Bend, Oregon, and rent a one-bedroom you can expect to pay $1,100 a month with garbage included. To live in North Bend and buy a home you'll pay roughly $330,000 and have a monthly payment including taxes and insurance of around $2,001.
#5 (tied) Newport, Oregon > The REAL cost of living in Newport, Oregon, is $49,000 to rent and $67,000 to buy (tied for #6). Living in Newport, Oregon, and renting a one-bedroom will set you back at least $1,350 a month with water, sewer and garbage included. You will find rentals very tough to come by at any price range in the town. To live in Newport, Oregon, and buy a home you'll pay roughly $350,000 and have a payment including property taxes and insurance of around $2,117 a month. For more information on living in Newport, Oregon, check out the Newport page on our website click here.
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#5 (tied) Seaside, Oregon > The REAL cost of living in Seaside, Oregon, is $49,000 to rent and $67,000 to buy (tied for #6). To live in Seaside, Oregon, and rent a one-bedroom will cost you around $1,200 a month without any utilities. If you find something, it will likely go very quickly. To live in Seaside, Oregon, and buy a home, you'll pay roughly $350,000 and have a payment, including property taxes and insurance, of around $2,137 a month. For more information about living in Seaside, Oregon, check out the Seaside page on my website. Click here.
#7 (tied) Florence, Oregon > The REAL cost of living in Florence, Oregon, is $50,000 to rent and $67,000 to buy (tied for #6 to buy). To live in Florence, Oregon, and rent a one-bedroom you can expect to pay $1,250 a month with no utilities included. To live in Florence, Oregon, and buy a home you'll pay roughly $350,000 and have a payment including property taxes and insurance of around $2,087 a month. For more information on living in Florence, Oregon, click here.
#7 Reedsport, Oregon > The REAL cost of living in Reedsport, Oregon, is $50,000 to rent and $62,000 to buy (#2 to buy). If you are looking to move to Reedsport, Oregon, and rent a one-bedroom, it will cost you around $1,275 a month without any utilities. There's a shortage of rentals on the Oregon Coast, and Reedsport is no exception so expect to look for a while and act quick if you find something. To live in Reedsport, Oregon, and buy a home, you'll pay roughly $300,000 and have a payment, including property taxes and insurance, of around $1,827 a month, which makes buying a home in Reedsport one of the better values from a cost of living standpoint on the Oregon Coast. For more information about living in Reedsport, Oregon, check out the Reedsport page on my website.
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#9 Lincoln City, Oregon > The REAL cost of living in Lincoln City, Oregon, is $52,000 a year to rent and $70,000 to buy (tied for #11 to buy). Living in Lincoln City, Oregon, and renting a one-bedroom, you can expect to pay $1,600 monthly, with water, sewer, garbage, and electricity included. If you plan to live in Lincoln City and buy a three-bedroom home, you can expect to pay $375,000 and have a payment including taxes and insurance of around $2,280 a month. For more information on visiting and living in Lincoln City, Oregon, click here.
#10 Brookings, Oregon > The REAL cost of living in Brookings, Oregon, is $54,000 to rent and $66,000 to move to Brookings, Oregon, and buy a house (#5 to buy). To live in Brookings and rent you'd likely pay at least $1,500 a month with no utilities. At the time of writing, there were no rentals in Brookings available. To live in Brookings, Oregon, and buy a house your payment would be about $2,057 a month for a $350,000 starter house. The Brookings page on my website has more information about moving to and living in Brookings, Oregon. Click here.
#11 Cannon Beach, Oregon > The REAL cost of living in Cannon Beach, Oregon, is $55,000 to rent a one-bedroom. If looking to buy in Cannon Beach, expect to need quite a bit more as it would take a $ 90,000-a-year income to buy and live in Cannon Beach, Oregon (#14 to buy). To rent it would cost roughly $1,550 a month in rent with no utilities included for a studio apartment. Given the lack of rentals in the town (non-vacation rentals), I'd expect any rental to go very quickly. Buying a home in Cannon Beach you can expect to pay at least $600,000 and have a $ 3,568-a-month payment. Making living in Cannon Beach, Oregon, the most expensive town we looked at on the Oregon Coast to buy. For more information on what living in Cannon Beach, Oregon, is like, check out the Cannon Beach page on my website. Click here.
#12 Astoria, Oregon > The REAL cost of living in Astoria, Oregon, is $56,000 to rent a one-bedroom. If you want to move to Astoria and buy, you'll need approximately a $67,000 yearly income to afford to live there (tied for #6). Renting a one-bedroom in Astoria, Oregon, will cost you roughly $1,800 a month with water, sewer, and garbage included. If you want to move to Astoria and buy a home, expect prices to start around $330,000, which would put your payment at roughly $2,137 with taxes and insurance included. The slight income difference between what it would take to rent and own makes owning in Astoria, Oregon, a good value. For more information on what living in Astoria, Oregon, is like, check out the Astoria page on my website. Click here.
#13 Bandon, Oregon > The REAL cost of living in Bandon, Oregon, is $62,000 to rent a one-bedroom and $68,000 to buy a home and move to Bandon, Oregon (Tied for #11). Over the period of a month, I was unable to find a 1 or 2-bedroom rental in Bandon. Based on the rental amount of a 3-bedroom I'm estimating the rent to be $2,000 a month at this time. If looking to move to Bandon, Oregon, and buy a home, you can expect prices to start at around $390,000 which would give you a payment of $2,285 with insurance and taxes included. For more information on what living in Bandon, Oregon, is like, check out the Bandon page on my website. Click here.
#14 Gearhart, Oregon > The REAL cost of living in Gearhart, Oregon, is $62,000 to rent a one-bedroom and $76,000 to buy a home and move to Gearhart, Oregon (#13 to buy). I was unable to actually find a rental in Gearhart so I estimated the rent to be $2,000 a month at this time. If you're thinking of buying a home in Gearhart, Oregon, prices start at around $450,000 which would give you a payment of $2,670 with insurance and taxes included. For more information on what living in Gearhart, Oregon, is like, check out the Gearhart page on my website. Click here.
Summary
I really enjoyed researching for this blog post and the city pages on my website (which have a lot of good info on each of the cities). I learned a great deal about all the towns. There are many attractions I didn't know about and am eager for my family and me to check out in the coming years. A few things that really stood out to me:
>Food costs > I did not expect $236 to go so far. Undoubtedly, the average person would want more variety. But what I've listed would be enough to feed the average person and do it in a healthy manner. Plus, with the extra $50, you can splurge some or buy a few six-packs of Buoy (the best beer around IMO and from Astoria, Oregon)
>Housing / Renting > Living on the Oregon Coast and renting is almost impossible at any price and for sure if you're on a budget. I looked for months to find the rental $ for each town and, in the end, couldn't find one for all. Many of the jobs on the coast are tourism-based, which notoriously don't pay a lot. It is difficult to see how someone could work in that industry and afford to rent in the area. I wouldn't recommend moving to the Oregon Coast if you don't have a rental lined up. You might be living in your car for a while.
>Housing / Buying > If you want to relocate to the Oregon Coast, buying seems the far better/easier option at this time. Most towns have a decent supply of homes for sale, and the prices in some areas seem pretty reasonable. There isn't a massive gap in the monthly payment between buying/renting if you have a 20% down payment. I realize not everyone's in the position to do that, but it seems like the better option for those that are. If it's something you're interested in exploring, CLICK HERE to email me and set up a time to talk, or just call me at 971-275-2465. I can help get you on the right track from a financing perspective to help you buy. Have an area(s) in mind and just want to receive emails when homes matching your criteria get listed? CLICK HERE to get added to Listing Alert and get homes matching your criteria sent to your inbox the second they get listed.
>Cost of Living to Buy Ranked > Coos Bay, Reedsport, Tillamook, North Bend, Brookings, Newport, Astoria, Florence, Seaside, Warrenton, Lincoln City, Gearhart, Cannon Beach
*Stephen Miller, Medical Plan Costs Expected to See Bigger Rise in 2023, SHRM, August 16, 2022, https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/health-plan-costs-expected-to-rise-in-2023.aspx
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