Photo: incommunicado · CC BY 2.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Boring costs more to live in than 75% of U.S. towns
Up 1.5% in a year, 45% above the Oregon typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area ($97K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 1 sale in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Boring’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($97K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up no better than renters: 26% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 0% of renters.
In dollars
- $713Ktypical home, 45% above the Oregon typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,010a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 105prices across the Portland metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 125)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 7.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$97K, Portland-area income
- 16%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 26%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Boring, in brief
Nearly every household owns
88% of Boring households own their home, against 63% across Oregon. There are only 73 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Boring’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Boring is more affordable than 25% of U.S. towns. Home prices pull the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Oregon: up 10.4% in five years, against 7.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 10.4% in five years
Faster than Oregon (7.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Boring | Oregon |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $426,000 | $310,000 |
| 2018 | $458,000 | $334,000 |
| 2019 | $485,000 | $352,000 |
| 2020 | $507,000 | $367,000 |
| 2021 | $578,000 | $408,000 |
| 2022 | $663,000 | $476,000 |
| 2023 | $674,000 | $487,000 |
| 2024 | $682,000 | $491,000 |
| 2025 | $714,000 | $500,000 |
| 2026 | $711,000 | $496,000 |
| September 2026 | $713,000 | $493,000 |
A typical Boring home worth $424K in October 2016 is worth about $713K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 7.5 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Boring’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $325K short of a typical Boring home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,010 a month here, $2,150 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Boring’s typical property tax (0.71% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,010
Renters already here pay a median of $1,328, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $5,184 (Oregon: $3,876), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.71% a year, against 0.81% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Boring
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area, or Oregon. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 105 | OR 103 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 105 | OR 105 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 107 | OR 107 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 100 | OR 100 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Boring vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Boring has the 2nd-lowest.
Questions about the cost of living in Boring
Is Boring expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Boring costs more than 75% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living. The typical home costs 7.5 years of the median household income of the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area ($97K).
How much does a house cost in Boring?
About $713K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.5% in a year. The Oregon typical home is $493K.
What salary do you need to live in Boring?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $178,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $4,160 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $80,000.
How much is rent in Boring?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,010 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,328 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Boring?
The median bill is $5,184 a year, 0.71% of the median home value (Oregon: $3,876, 0.81%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Boring going up?
Yes: up 1.5% in the past year and 10.4% in five years, against 7.1% across Oregon (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Boring buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.