Moving from Cincinnati to Portland

The Story

Cincinnati-to-Portland is P&G → Nike + Intel + OHSU move. OH 5.3% → OR 9.9% costs $4,600/yr. Housing 112% MORE, COL 53% higher. Pull: Nike HQ Beaverton (P&G consumer brands direct bridge), Intel Hillsboro chip, OHSU medical, Pacific NW outdoor, no sales tax.

Why This Move

Why people move from Cincinnati to Portland.

Nike HQ Beaverton — P&G consumer brands direct marketing bridge
Intel Hillsboro chip fab — top US semiconductor R&D
Adidas Portland HQ
OHSU — Oregon Health & Science University
Pacific NW outdoor lifestyle (Cascades, Mt. Hood, coast)
Food cart culture + craft beer capital
No sales tax
Trail Blazers + Timbers sports

Cost Comparison

The money side of OH → OR.

Cincinnati

Median home$250,000
Income tax3.5% OH + 1.8% Cincinnati (~5.3%)
Cost index85

Portland

Median home$530,000
Income tax9.9% (OR top)
Cost index130

What to Do in Portland

Things you'll want to know about your new city.

Bookmark this page — these are the icons of Portland, organized by what kind of day you're planning.

Outdoors & Recreation

Portland Japanese Garden — 12 acres in Washington Park; widely ranked best outside Japan
Forest Park — 5,200 acres of urban forest; 80 miles of trails
Multnomah Falls (30 min east) — 620-ft waterfall; iconic Columbia Gorge view
Lan Su Chinese Garden — Traditional Suzhou-style garden in Old Town/Chinatown
Mount Hood (1 hr east) — 11,250-ft volcano; ski year-round at Timberline

Culture & Arts

Powell's City of Books — Largest independent bookstore in world; full city block
Portland Saturday Market — Year-round outdoor craft market under Burnside Bridge
Pittock Mansion — 1914 mansion with city + Mount Hood views
Pioneer Courthouse Square — 'Portland's Living Room' downtown

Family-Friendly

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) — Hands-on science; planetarium, submarine USS Blueback

Where to Eat

Portland's essential restaurants.

The dining list every Portland resident knows by heart. Save the spots, work through them.

Le Pigeon French-American Burnside

Gabriel Rucker; James Beard winner
Pok Pok (variants) Northern Thai Multiple

Andy Ricker's Northern Thai cult favorite
Coquine European bistro Mount Tabor

Brunch and dinner; James Beard nominated
Beast Tasting menu King

Naomi Pomeroy's communal-table tasting
Salt & Straw Ice cream Multiple

Cult ice cream; flavors like Pear & Blue Cheese
Tasty n Sons Brunch/American Boise-Eliot

John Gorham's brunch institution
Apizza Scholls Pizza Hawthorne

Cult NY-style pizza
Pine State Biscuits Southern biscuits Multiple

Reggie deluxe biscuit sandwich
Gumba Italian / pasta Portland

Started in 2016 as a 3-item food cart by lifelong friends Robin and Jesse from Silverton, OR — now a Portland favorite

Where to Live

Best Portland neighborhoods for Cincinnati transplants.

Mapped to the Cincinnati neighborhoods that probably feel like home to you.

Alberta Arts

If OTR was your scene — walkable urban, restaurants, art
Hawthorne

If Hyde Park was your vibe — eclectic, walkable, indie
Eastmoreland

If you wanted leafy walkable — historic, family
Lake Oswego (suburb)

If Indian Hill was your model — affluent, top schools
Beaverton (suburb)

If Mason was your scene — Nike/Intel, family
West Linn (suburb)

If you wanted top schools — family, planned

Climate & Walkability

What daily life feels like in Portland.

Climate

Marine west coast. Mild, wet winters (35-50°F). Cool, dry summers (60-85°F). Famous gray season Oct-May with light rain (37 inches/year). Beautiful summers June-Sept. 144 sun days/year (less than Seattle).

Summer55-82°F
Winter35-48°F
Sun days/yr144
Rainfall37 inches

Walkability

Walk Score67/100
Transit Score53/100
Bike Score81/100

Portland is somewhat walkable in central neighborhoods, car-dependent in suburbs.

Outdoors & Recreation

Forest Park — 5,200 acres, 80 miles of trails in city
Mount Hood — skiing/snowboarding year-round
Columbia River Gorge — Multnomah Falls, hiking
Pacific coast (90 min west) — Cannon Beach, Haystack Rock
Willamette Valley wine country (1 hr SW)
Bike infrastructure — among best in US (Bike Score 81)

Reality Check

What changes about your daily life.

OH 5.3% becomes OR 9.9% — costs $4,600/year on $100K
Housing 112% MORE expensive — $250K Cincy becomes $530K Portland
COL 53% higher
Climate flips humid continental to marine West Coast (rainy)
Property tax OR 1.0% lower than OH 1.5%
Car → MAX/walkable major upgrade
P&G consumer brands → Nike marketing direct bridge
Sports — gain Trail Blazers/Timbers, lose Reds/Bengals

Driving Routes

How to drive there.

I-74 W to I-80 W to I-84 W

2,360 miles via Indianapolis, Chicago, Boise. 35 hours / 4-5 days.

Move Logistics

What it takes to move 2,360 miles.

Full-service (3BR)$8,500-$15,500
Container/PODS$6,000-$9,500
DIY (26-ft truck)$4,500-$7,800
Best monthsMay-Oct (PNW dry season)
Lead time12-14 weeks ahead

USDOT-registered.

Common Questions