2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Bellingham, WA vs Portland, OR

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Portland or is it cheaper to live in Bellingham?
- Portland is 8.7% more expensive than Bellingham.

Which city has more affordable housing, Portland or Bellingham?
- Portland housing costs are 4.0% less expensive than Bellingham housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Bellingham or is Health Care more affordable in Portland.
- Health related expenses are 6.8% less in Portland.
 Bellingham, WAPortland, ORUnited States
 Overall  Unlock127.7100
 Food & Groceries102.8  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock90.6100
 Housing191.7  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$537,200$338,100
 Utilities70  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock129.9100
 Miscellaneous141.1  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Bellingham    58 Reviews

Over 3 years ago

I've lived in so many cities in 5 west coast states and have come to a conclusion that Bellingham is the greatest city to live, work, play and raise a family. After  More

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Over 4 years ago

From what I’ve seen and heard, the very liberal political/ethical beliefs of Bellingham residents, as well as the grey rainy weather, are the main things a few people  More

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If you’re like many Americans and caught up in right vs left you won’t like the far left here in Bellingham wa. If you put politics away and you enjoy skiing,  More

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Reviews for Portland    386 Reviews

I lived in Portland for 19 years (I've also lived in Boise, ID, the Bay Area, Austin, TX and now Nampa, ID). It drives me nuts when people try to give a large city a  More

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One of the best cities in America. Food scene is the best in the world. Weather is preferable over places where you have the same weather year round. I enjoy the  More

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I moved from Houston to Portland about a year ago. I remember reading the reviews on here and it making me second guess moving before I did, so I wanted to come back and  More

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