Photo: SkatePark in Main City Park, Gresham, Oregon.jpg · CC BY 4.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Gresham costs more to live in than 87% of U.S. towns
It ranks #82 of 142 in Oregon and #230 of 400 U.S. cities over 100,000 for affordability. Down 0.5% in a year, 6% below 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
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Gresham’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 better than renters: 31% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 59% of renters.
In dollars
- $462Ktypical home, 6% below the Oregon typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,860a 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
- 4.7 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$97K, Portland-area income
- 20%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 59%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Oregon: 53%Census 2020–24
- 31%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What’s behind Gresham’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Gresham is more affordable than 13% of U.S. towns, #82 of 142 in Oregon. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Oregon: up 5.0% in five years, against 7.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 5% in five years
About the same pace as Oregon (7.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Gresham | Oregon |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $295,000 | $310,000 |
| 2018 | $323,000 | $334,000 |
| 2019 | $337,000 | $352,000 |
| 2020 | $352,000 | $367,000 |
| 2021 | $394,000 | $408,000 |
| 2022 | $454,000 | $476,000 |
| 2023 | $453,000 | $487,000 |
| 2024 | $456,000 | $491,000 |
| 2025 | $468,000 | $500,000 |
| 2026 | $465,000 | $496,000 |
| September 2026 | $462,000 | $493,000 |
A typical Gresham home worth $286K in October 2016 is worth about $462K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 3.6 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, September 2026.
A typical home costs 4.7 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Gresham’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $85K short of a typical Gresham home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,860 a month here, $910 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Gresham’s typical property tax (0.91% 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 $1,860
Renters already here pay a median of $1,586, 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.
296 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 296 new homes in Gresham in 2025: 237 single-family houses and 59 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $64.1 million to build. That's 2.6 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Oregon (3.8). Over the past 10 years, Gresham has permitted 3,581 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Gresham gained 8,653 residents while 2,275 new homes were permitted: about 3.8 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across Oregon: 2.6 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 191 | 187 | 4 | $61.3 million |
| 2025 | 296 | 237 | 59 | $64.1 million |
| 2024 | 239 | 204 | 35 | $78.4 million |
| 2023 | 476 | 220 | 256 | $130.4 million |
| 2022 | 254 | 252 | 2 | $72.6 million |
| 2021 | 399 | 221 | 178 | $76.1 million |
| 2020 | 425 | 84 | 341 | $62 million |
| 2019 | 817 | 205 | 612 | $126 million |
| 2018 | 348 | 190 | 158 | $72.4 million |
| 2017 | 193 | 111 | 82 | $39.1 million |
| 2016 | 134 | 110 | 24 | $33 million |
| 2015 | 398 | 182 | 216 | $73.8 million |
| 2014 | 63 | 61 | 2 | $15 million |
| 2013 | 87 | 75 | 12 | $20.6 million |
| 2012 | 68 | 66 | 2 | $16.9 million |
| 2011 | 42 | 42 | 0 | $9.1 million |
| 2010 | 125 | 76 | 49 | $20.9 million |
| 2009 | 224 | 69 | 155 | $33 million |
| 2008 | 163 | 103 | 60 | $30.7 million |
| 2007 | 383 | 305 | 78 | $78.3 million |
| 2006 | 376 | 242 | 134 | $73.3 million |
| 2005 | 481 | 350 | 131 | $91.5 million |
| 2004 | 702 | 373 | 329 | $88.8 million |
| 2003 | 869 | 401 | 468 | $110.7 million |
| 2002 | 775 | 461 | 314 | $102.6 million |
| 2001 | 819 | 471 | 348 | $109.4 million |
| 2000 | 503 | 319 | 184 | $47.5 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the Oregon norm
The median bill is $4,174 (Oregon: $3,876), 0.91% of a home’s value 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 Gresham
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.
Gresham vs. its neighbors
Of the 4 towns here with a Zillow value, Gresham has the lowest.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gresham | D | $462K | $459K | 0.91% | $1,860 |
| Portland | D | $524K | $582K | 0.99% | $1,970 |
| Fairview | C− | $470K | $428K | 0.82% | $1,800 |
| Troutdale | C− | $481K | $456K | 0.95% | $1,800 |
| Orient | – | — | $936K | 1.07%+ | $1,830 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “+”: the Census reports the tax bill only as $10,000 or more, so the rate is at least that.
Questions about the cost of living in Gresham
Is Gresham expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Gresham costs more than 87% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #82 of 142 in Oregon. The typical home costs 4.7 years of the median household income of the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area ($97K).
How much does a house cost in Gresham?
About $462K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 0.5% in a year. The Oregon typical home is $493K.
What salary do you need to live in Gresham?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $119,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,770 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $74,000.
How much is rent in Gresham?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,860 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,586 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Gresham?
The median bill is $4,174 a year, 0.91% of the median home value (Oregon: $3,876, 0.81%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Gresham going up?
No: down 0.5% in the past year and 5.0% in five years, against 7.1% across Oregon (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Gresham 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. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits 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.