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Find the Best Moving Companies in Portland Oregon
Ready to start your new adventure in the City of Roses? If yes, then the first step is to find a good moving company that will make your move as stress-free as possible.
Choosing among the many moving companies in Portland Oregon is no easy task. So, because our goal is to make your life easier, we’ve compiled a list of the main steps you should follow to find the best Portland Oregon Moving Company:
- Measure the volume of your move;
- Request quotes from multiple movers;
- Evaluate each mover that contacts you on:
- Moving services included and equipment;
- Customer reviews (Tip!: You can find tons of customer reviews for hundreds of moving companies in our site!);
- Licenses and certifications;
- Moving insurance conditions.
- Narrow down the list of potential movers and request an in-home survey from each of them –carefully evaluate the final price they give you.
- Make your final choice –make sure you carefully review every detail of the contract proposed by the mover of your choice!
Why Choose Movers in Portland Oregon?
Carrying out a move with a local mover comes on with the added benefit that they, more often than not, have a better understanding of the area compared to out-of-state movers. Moving companies in Portland Oregon will be aware of any challenges that might be special to Portland and thus, will know to prepare accordingly.
Costs of Moving Companies in Portland Oregon
Given that there are no fixed prices for moves to Portland, we recommend that you check out our long-distance moving costs and local moving costs pages so you can get an idea of what to expect. When you request quotes from movers in Portland Oregon keep in mind the following:
- Distance: The larger between departure and destination points, the more expensive your move will be.
- Volume of your move: Moves of large volume can cost a pretty penny. We recommend that you calculate the size of your move and try to declutter as much as possible.
- Type of transport: The type of transport you decide to use (air, land, sea) to make your move represents an important part of your final costs.
- Complexity: If your move is very complex (e.g.: you need a large number of movers, extra services, etc.), it will be more expensive.
- Additional services: (Dis)assembly services, insurance, etc., can all rack up your bill pretty quickly.
Moving to Portland Oregon: Everything You Need to Know
How Much Does It Cost?
First things first, before hopping on a plane to start a new life in Portland, it’s important that you’re first well-informed on how much such a move will cost you. Generally, the costs of moving to Portland, Oregon will vary depending on the size of your move and where you’re moving from.
Unless you’ve been around the block a few times we can imagine that all of this might sound a bit vague. So, to illustrate it better for you, we put together a list of estimates for a full-service move to Portland from different cities across the United States below.
| Departure | 1-bedroom | 2-bedroom | 3-bedroom |
| Austin, TX | $4,156 – $5,843 | $5,843 – $7,518 | $9,064 – $12,282 |
| New York City, NY | $4,797 – $6,795 | $6,795 – $8,762 | $10,572 – $14,341 |
| San Diego, CA | $3,515 – $4,894 | $4,894 – $6,282 | $7,576 – $10,260 |
| Chicago, IL | $4,178 – $5,875 | $5,875 – $7,561 | $9,118 – $12,357 |
| Seattle, WA | $2,691 – $3,671 | $3,671 – $4,689 | $5,653 – $7,645 |
Disclaimer: the rates shown above are just estimates. Costs will vary depending on your actual point of departure and the service rates of the company.
How to Move to Portland Oregon: Checklist
One of the many challenges that come along with moving is keeping track of everything that must get done before, during, and after the big move. If you’re gifted with a great memory, this will be no problem for you. But just in case you might need an extra hand remembering a few things, we recommend that you take note of the following points highlighted in the infographic below!
Tip!: Interested in a handy comprehensive checklist to use throughout your entire relocation to Portland Oregon? We got your back! Our national moving checklist is here to assist you. 😉
Becoming a Portlander
Becoming a real Oregonian (what a nickname) and therefore, a Portlander, is luckily quite simple. All you need to do is:
- Establish residency for at least 12 months;
- Surrender your out-of-state driver’s license;
- Obtain an Oregon driver’s license;
- Register your vehicle in the state.
Tip!: Curious about what are the requirements to register your vehicle? Check out the following information provided by the government of the state of Oregon.
Moving to Portland Oregon for Work
Moving to Portland, Oregon with a job already secured is, of course, the most ideal situation. But, in case you haven’t gotten around to exploring the city’s job market yet, you might be pleased to know that Portland will enjoy a predicted job growth of approximately 8.8% (compared to a national average of 4.7%) in the upcoming three years —great news!.
Even though you’ll be able to find a job in just about any industry, the following are current top industries with the highest levels of demand in Portland:
- Manufacturing;
- Healthcare;
- Athletic & Outdoor Apparel (Nike’s headquarters located in Beaverton are just a short ride away from Portland!);
- Education;
- Technology.
Your annual income will, of course, depend on the career path you pursue. However, you can expect an average yearly salary of around $68,000 (according to Payscale). When scouting for a job, we recommend that you check out the following job-seeking platforms:
- Indeed Portland Oregon;
- Glassdoor;
- LinkedIn;
- Monster;
- SimplyHired.
Costs of Living in Portland Oregon
Last but not least, before we send you off on your new adventure in Portland, it’s important that we cover the living costs in the City of Roses so you can prepare accordingly. To make a long story short, living in Portland can be a bit pricey –especially when it comes to housing.
To give you an idea, compared to the national average of 100, Portland currently scores 130.8 on the cost of living index. You might be wondering what these number even means, so to help you out we’ve broken down the costs of living into the most common categories in the sections below.
Housing
As we mentioned prior, housing in Portland isn’t necessarily as cheap as chips. To give you an idea, the median home cost in Portland is around $188,000 higher than national average of $231,200. Don’t be discouraged, though. This will largely depend on the neighborhood you’re interested in as well as the size of the property.
Curious about which are the most popular neighborhoods in Portland? Here’s a short list for ya’:
- Hillside;
- Humboldt;
- Eliot;
- Boise;
- Arbor Lodge;
- Piedmont;
- King.
Finally, To give you a rough idea of what you can expect in terms of prices, the table below summarizes both the average rent and median home values for different neighborhoods across the city.
| Neighborhood | Median Home Value | Average Rent |
| Humboldt | $523,500 | $1,900 |
| Hillside | $850,600 | $2,095 |
| King | $486,900 | $1,950 |
| Eliot | $528,200 | $1,912 |
| Arbor Lodge | $446,000 | $1,795 |
Disclaimer: The prices shown above are just estimates. These prices will vary depending on the property size and the neighborhood of your choice.
Food and Groceries
Perhaps one of the most exciting parts about moving to Portland, Oregon will be being able to indulge in the city’s cuisine —at least if you’re a big food lover like us. You can do this by, of course, treating yourself to a nice meal out or by incorporating local products into your homemade meals. Regardless of what you choose to go for, it’s always good a rough idea of the average cost of food and groceries in the city will help you budget accordingly.
| Food & Groceries | Average Cost |
| Loaf of fresh bread | $2.98 |
| 1 lb. of potatoes | $1.12 |
| 1 lb. of bananas | $0.73 |
| Gallon of milk | $3.26 |
| 1 lb. of chicken filet | $5.08 |
| 1 lb. of beef round | $7.32 |
| Carton of 12 eggs | $2.87 |
| 1 lb. of local cheese | $6.34 |
| Bottle of wine | $14.50 |
| Three-course dinner for two | $60 |
| Lunch menu | $15 |
Fun fact: Did you know Oregon produces 95% of the hazelnuts sold across the country?
Getting Around Portland
If you’re not taking your vehicle with you in your move to Portland, don’t worry, the City of Roses is well-equipped with a public transportation system (TriMet) that will get you from A to B in no time. So you know what to expect, below you can find a summary of public transport prices (applicable to both metro and bus lines) in Portland:
- 2 and a half hour ride for $2.50;
- Day pass for $5;
- Monthly pass for $100.
Taxes in Portland
Touching upon taxes is never fun –we know it’s not particularly everyone’s favorite topic. But, luckily, there’s a silver lining –you won’t have to pay sales tax in Portland, Oregon! Even though this is great news for the shopaholics among us, there are other types of taxes that you, unfortunately, cannot escape. Among such you can expect the following:
- Income tax of 7% or 9% depending on your personal income;
- Property tax of 1.07%.
Tip!: Need extra information regarding taxes in Portland? Check out the information provided by the city’s Revenue Division.
Things to Do
When moving to Portland, Oregon you’ll be quick to find out that the city definitely manages to keep Portlanders on their toes. From trying out tasty treats (giving glazed donuts a try is a must!) to dwelling in the city’s well-known hipster culture, the city is filled with heaps of things to do.
Because we want to help you picture your new life in Portland as well as possible, we put together a list of cool things you can do in the city and their respective costs.
| Activity | Average Cost |
| Ticket to Portland’s Art Museum | $17 – $20 |
| Ticket to Portland’s Japanese Garden | $16.95 |
| Monthly gym membership | $46 |
| Two movie tickets | $24 |
| Two theater tickets | $181 |
| One-hour rent of a tennis court | $19.75 |
| Ticket to Oregon’s Museum of Science and Industry | $9 – $20 |
Are you an outdoors lover? If yes, these are some beautiful parks you most definitely give a shot:
- Washington Park;
- Laurelhurst Park;
- Millends Park;
- Mt Tabor Park (it covers an extinct volcano!).
Curious Facts About Portland
- The name of the city of Portland was actually decided by a coin toss —when all else fails a coin toss is the only logical way to go, right?;
- Calling all book lovers! Did you know that Portland is home to the largest bookstore in the world? Look up Powell’s City of Books!;
- One of the most famous slogans of the city is “Keep Portland Weird” –surely you won’t get bored in the City of Roses if this is what Portlanders live by!;
- Are you a beer lover? If yes, you’ll be pleased to hear that Portland has more microbreweries per capita than any other city in the world;
- Besides the City of Roses, Portland is also known as P Town, Rip City, and Stumptown –on a scale from 1 to P Town, how much fun do you think you’ll have in Portland?
Ready to Hire Portland Oregon Movers?
Deciding what moving company is a very important decision, so we understand if you might need some extra help –and we’d love to offer a helping hand. By filling out our moving quote you will be able to receive up to 5 free quotes from moving companies in Portland Oregon. This will allow you to save both time and money on your move!
