MO → OR · Gateway City to Rose City

Moving from St. Louis to Portland?

St. Louis to Portland — MO 5.95% to OR 9.9% costs $3,950/yr, housing 126% pricier — Boeing/Wash U → Intel Hillsboro + Nike + OHSU.

2,070 mi Distance
31 hr Drive time
-126% lower Home prices
$-3,950/yr Tax savings on $100K

The Story

St. Louis-to-Portland is Boeing/Wash U → Intel Hillsboro + OHSU + Nike move. MO 5.95% → OR 9.9% costs $3,950/yr. Housing 126% MORE, COL 55% higher. Pull: Intel Hillsboro chip fab, Nike HQ Beaverton, OHSU medical (Wash U bridge), Pacific NW outdoor, no sales tax.

Why This Move

Why people move from St. Louis to Portland.

Intel Hillsboro chip fab — top US semiconductor R&D
Nike HQ Beaverton + Adidas Portland
OHSU — Wash U Medicine academic bridge
Pacific NW outdoor lifestyle (Cascades, Mt. Hood, coast)
Boeing STL → Boeing Portland direct internal transfer (commercial)
Food cart culture + craft beer capital
No sales tax
Trail Blazers + Timbers sports

Cost Comparison

The money side of MO → OR.

St. Louis

Median home$235,000
Income tax4.95% MO + 1% STL (~5.95%)
Cost index84

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 St. Louis transplants.

Mapped to the St. Louis neighborhoods that probably feel like home to you.

Alberta Arts

If Central West End was your scene — walkable urban, restaurants
Hawthorne

If Soulard was your vibe — eclectic, walkable, indie
Eastmoreland

If Webster Groves was your goal — leafy walkable, historic
Lake Oswego (suburb)

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

If Kirkwood 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.

MO 5.95% becomes OR 9.9% — costs $3,950/year on $100K
Housing 126% MORE — $235K STL becomes $530K Portland
COL 55% higher
Climate flips humid continental to marine West Coast (rainy)
Property tax OR 1.0% similar to MO 1.0%
Car → MAX/walkable major upgrade
Wash U Med → OHSU direct academic medicine bridge
Sports — gain Trail Blazers/Timbers, lose Cardinals/Blues

Driving Routes

How to drive there.

I-70 W to I-84 W

2,070 miles via Denver, Boise. 31 hours / 4 days.

Move Logistics

What it takes to move 2,070 miles.

Full-service (3BR)$8,000-$14,500
Container/PODS$5,500-$8,800
DIY (26-ft truck)$4,200-$7,000
Best monthsMay-Oct (PNW dry season)
Lead time10-12 weeks ahead

USDOT-registered.

Common Questions