Bend vs Vancouver
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $462,400 in Vancouver and $718,400 in Bend.
- Households earn more in Bend ($96,394 vs $81,338 median).
- Vancouver has the warmer winter: January highs of 48°F vs 43°F.
- Bend gets far more snow: 22 inches a year vs 4.
- Bend is growing faster: +8.2% since 2020 vs +4.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in Bend (16 vs 23 minutes each way).
- Washington has no state income tax on wages; Oregon's top rate is 9.9%.
Side by side
| Bend, OR | Vancouver, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 107,342 | 199,698 |
| Growth since 2020 | +8.2% | +4.6% |
| People per square mile | 3,052 | 4,092 |
| Median age | 40.9 | 37.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 53% | 32% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $96,394 | $81,338 |
| Median home value | $718,400 | $462,400 |
| Home value to income | 7.5× | 5.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,883 | $1,702 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.6 | 105.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 110.0 | 125.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,700 | $79,100 |
| Homeowners | 62% | 51% |
| Top state income tax | 9.9% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 0% | 9.57% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 16.3 | 23.2 |
| Work from home | 25% | 18% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.7% | 5.7% |
| Poverty rate | 8.8% | 10.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 43° / 25° | 48° / 36° |
| July high / low | 84° / 49° | 82° / 59° |
| Precipitation per year | 11 in | 37 in |
| Snowfall per year | 22 in | 4 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 16 | 15 |
| Nights below freezing | 168 | 32 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 7 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 84.9 | 92.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 89% | 70% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.7% | +1.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +29.2% | +21.2% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Bend: June to August. Vancouver: April to October.
Full monthly tables: Bend weather by month and Vancouver weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $77,700 in Bend and $79,100 in Vancouver. Moving from Bend to Vancouver, you would need about $76,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Bend and Vancouver
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Bend and Vancouver.
Which would you pick?
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