Price History
Median Home Price
Median Rent
Stored observations from 2016-07-31 to 2026-06-29. Source: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI. Missing rents are shown as gaps.
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Purchase
Monthly Cash Flow
* Based on metro-wide median values. 35% expenses include taxes, insurance, maintenance, vacancy, and property management. Individual counties and properties vary significantly.
Score Breakdown
Based on 3.91% rent-to-price ratio. Higher ratios indicate stronger cash flow potential.
Based on -1.0% YoY price growth. Moderate growth (3-8%) scores highest.
Based on 0.0% population growth. Growing areas indicate economic stability.
Based on price relative to estimated local incomes.
Scores are calculated using real Zillow metro-level home value and rent data, Census population data, and economic indicators. The weighted average produces the overall investment score. This metro score represents area-wide averages; individual counties may vary significantly.
Investment Outlook
Strengths
- +Low unemployment (0.0%)
Challenges
- -Below-average rent-to-price ratio (3.91%)
- -Declining home values (-1.0% YoY)
- -Negative cash flow at typical financing (-$1,726/mo)
- -Negative leverage (cap rate 2.5% < mortgage rate 6.9%)
Counties in Portland, OR
Section 8 in Portland, OR: payment standards by ZIP, PHA waitlist status, and voucher counts are on VoucherMatch, the same HUD dataset with the tenant demand side attached.
Compare to Similar Metros
| Metro Area | Verdict | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gainesville, TX Gainesville, TX | 56 | $322,119 | $1,773 | 6.61% | Hold | View | |
Murray, KY Murray, KY | 56 | $169,425 | $1,184 | 8.38% | Hold | View | |
Spirit Lake, IA Spirit Lake, IA | 56 | $385,260 | Est. | Hold | View | ||
Stevens Point, WI Stevens Point, WI | 56 | $321,201 | $1,274 | 4.76% | Hold | View | |
Campbellsville, KY Campbellsville, KY | 56 | $204,905 | Est. | Hold | View | ||
Current Portland, OR | 36 | $552,022 | $1,797 | 3.91% | Avoid |
Rent vs buy in this metro
The Bottom Line
The Portland, OR metro area scores 36/100, ranking #872 of 894 US metros (top 97%). The 3.91% rent-to-price ratio may require targeting specific counties or creative strategies for positive cash flow. Current metro-wide averages make traditional buy-and-hold investing challenging. Consider house hacking, value-add strategies, or drilling down to specific counties.