Cost of Living in Eugene, OR, United States

How Much Does It Cost to Live In Eugene, OR?

Eugene is a city in Oregon at the southern, located at the end of the Willamette Valley.

The city is best known for being the home of the University of Oregon.

Eugene is a college town that is not too diverse, and is very white ethnically.

The great thing about it is that it’s only a couple of hours drive to the coast for beaches, whale watching, etc and the same distance to Cascade Mountains for Wilderness experiences.

A major college gives the city more culture, better sports, more concerts, and employment opportunities that a city of 150 thousand people normally wouldn’t have.

Cost of Living Index:
72.46
Restaurants

RESTAURANTS

While there are plenty of bar and grills, the food tends to be bar food in this city. Still, you’ll find many restaurants, bars, cafes and shops scattered around the city. Here, you can have a gorgeous meal at an inexpensive restaurant for only 12$. However, you should still keep in mind that eating out will definitely empty your wallet faster than if you cook for yourself.

Markets

MARKETS

Local farms are definitely the greatest aspect of living in Eugene. You can buy farm produce, raw milk, nuts, peaches, berries, farm eggs, grass fed beef in Eugene at affordable price or grow your own. The valley is full of life. Grocery stores may or not have the same food stocked monthly. If you need something specific, you may have to go to six different stores to find it.

Transportation

TRANSPORTATION

Eugene has an excellent system of bike routes and plenty of bike friendly streets, and its bike paths make it possible to ride along rivers, mountain trails and through covered bridges. This way, you can save a lot of money you would otherwise spend on public transportation.

Utilities

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

Utilities are relatively reasonably priced in Eugene. For an apartment of a larger structure (85m2), all basic utilities – including electricity, along with heating and cooling, water, gas and garbage services – costs around 140$. Internet is pretty pricey though, amounting up to 60$.

Sports and leisure

SPORTS & LEISURE

Also known as Berkeley of the north and Track Town, USA, Eugene is the center of much running and track activity. Eugene also has the best, most extensive bicycle path system in the north. This way, you can save a lot of money you would otherwise spend on gyms or fitness clubs. But if you prefer going to the gym, it will cost you around 32$ a month which is reasonable.

Clothing and shoes

CLOTHING & SHOES

Valley River Center is the largest shopping mall in the Eugene area. The prices here are not too high: a pair of quality jeans like Levi’s costs 40$, a pair of quality running sneakers like Nike are around 75$, while simpler items of clothing like shirts cost around 35$.

Rent per month

RENT PER MONTH

Housing is affordable, when compared to other places, but it still depends on your personal preferences and where you want to live – as well as on the size of apartment you’re looking for. You can find a nice apartment for less than 1000$. It’s a great place to invest in real estate, as well. Taxes, however, are pretty high.

Cost of Living Averages Table for Eugene, OR

*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.
Average Restaurant Prices
Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant)$12.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter)$5.00
Water (0.33 Liter)$1.52
Average Market Prices
Milk (1 Liter)$0.82
Loaf Bread (500g)$2.42
Eggs (12)$2.50
Average Transport Prices
One Way Ticket$1.75
Monthly Pass$50.00
Gasoline$0.79
Average Utilities Prices
Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling)$146.67
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local$0.10
Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)$62.71
Average Leisure Prices
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult$32.67
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour)$5.00
Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release$9.95
Average Clothing Prices
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable)$43.87
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...)$35.83
1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range)$72.73
Average Rent Prices
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center$909.38
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center$798.25
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center$1682.80

How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Eugene, OR?

Food and groceries is the biggest expense of anyone living in Eugene, along with rent.

However, rest assured that rent is definitely one of the most expensive aspects of living in this country.

Apart from food and rent, people spend a lot of money on transportation and restaurants – since there are many people who are used to eating all three meals in restaurants.

Utilities are also a big expense for an average person living in Eugene – as this is something that just has to be paid, like it or not.

Average Costs Breakdown

12.7%
38.2%
8.6%
5.3%
3.6%
2.2%
29.4%

Eugene, OR: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages

Salaries in Eugene are definitely high and make living in this city a very pleasant and comfortable experience, though they are significantly lower than in many other major cities.

Still, the minimum wage in Eugene, that amounts to around 2000$ is still a reasonable amount of money that just goes in line with the high standard of living here, especially taking into consideration that the prices here are lower than the country’s average.

Though it certainly isn’t the most expensive place to be, people in Eugene are certain there’s room for improvement.

Average Salary$2285.85
Minimum Wage$2080.00
Mortgage Interest Rate4.35%

What About Travel Safety in Eugene, OR?

eugene

Eugene Safety Overview

READ THE FULL REPORT: Eugene Safety Review

Safety Index:
52
  • OVERALL RISK : MEDIUM
  • TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK : LOW
  • PICKPOCKETS RISK : LOW
  • NATURAL DISASTERS RISK : MEDIUM
  • MUGGING RISK : MEDIUM
  • TERRORISM RISK : LOW
  • SCAMS RISK : LOW
  • WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK : MEDIUM

Cost of Living by City in Eugene, OR

CityCost of Living Index
Albany, NY79.38
Albuquerque, NM64.32
Anchorage, AK93.19
Ann Arbor, MI67.06
Arlington, TX69.07
Asheville, NC71.52
Atlanta, GA72.05
Austin, TX70.49
Bakersfield, CA67.11
Baltimore, MD73.85
Bellevue, WA85.97
Bellingham, WA72.14
Berkeley, CA84.09
Birmingham, AL71.87
Boise, ID59.43
Boston, MA80.46
Boulder, CO77.16
Brooklyn, NY90.31
Buffalo, NY70.59
Burlington, VT76.11
Charleston, SC86.87
Charlotte, NC73.33
Chattanooga, TN63.28
Chicago, IL77.33
Cincinnati, OH62.65
Cleveland, OH69.65
Columbia, SC66.23
Columbus, OH66.9
Dallas, TX64.32
Dayton, OH65.84
Denver, CO72.02
Des Moines, IA62.21
Detroit, MI62.77
El Paso, TX59.37
Everett, WA74.36
Fayetteville, AR64.84
Fort Myers, FL71.5
Fort Wayne, IN65.88
Fort Worth, TX65.19
Fresno, CA63.25
Gainesville, FL63.62
Grand Rapids, MI63.47
Greensboro, NC64.46
Hartford, CT79.85
Honolulu, HI93.72
Houston, TX62.16
Huntsville, AL59.8
Indianapolis, IN70.79
Irvine, CA78.38
Jacksonville, FL70.62
Jersey City, NJ84.08
Kansas City, MO65.74
Knoxville, TN60.97
Las Vegas, NV66.98
Lexington, KY59.64
Little Rock, AR60.31
Long Beach, CA77.95
Los Angeles, CA77.66
Louisville, KY60.24
Lubbock, TX62.4
Madison, WI63.3
Memphis, TN66.49
Miami, FL75.83
Milwaukee, WI68.81
Minneapolis, MN72.93
Nashville, TN68.78
New Orleans, LA73.61
New York, NY100
Oakland, CA81.18
Oklahoma City, OK61.72
Olympia, WA70.57
Orlando, FL70.18
Peoria, IL69.84
Philadelphia, PA79.25
Phoenix, AZ64.31
Pittsburgh, PA76.04
Portland, ME74.81
Portland, OR74.17
Raleigh, NC69.18
Reno, NV59.84
Richmond, VA64.56
Rochester, NY70.25
Sacramento, CA75.54
Saint Louis, MO69.02
Saint Paul, MN71.94
Saint Petersburg, FL70.49
Salem, OR66.04
Salt Lake City, UT62.94
San Antonio, TX58.12
San Diego, CA72.29
San Francisco, CA96.88
San Jose, CA76.28
Santa Barbara, CA75.55
Santa Rosa, CA88.27
Seattle, WA85.51
Spokane, WA66.6
Springfield, MO60.56
Syracuse, NY67.55
Tacoma, WA74.21
Tallahassee, FL67.24
Tampa, FL68.61
Toledo, OH60.35
Tucson, AZ63.35
Tulsa, OK62.67
Vancouver, WA60.46
Virginia Beach, VA67.86
Washington, DC88.5
West Palm Beach, FL74.79
Wichita, KS63.18

Where to Next?

See these related locations:

Or, browse the country/city indexes:

Cost of Living - Country Index Cost of Living - City Index

Share Your Experience