a landable guide
Washington and Oregon, the cities Seattle and Portland overshadow. Outdoor access, some rain tolerance required, affordability varies widely.
By Karol Gajda
The Pacific Northwest's case is outdoor access: mountains, forests, coast, and a national park system within driving distance of nearly any city in the region. The weather asks for some tolerance of gray, and the price ranges enormously, from Seattle's $2,193 to smaller cities well under $1,500.
This list covers every Washington and Oregon metro in the dataset, ranked by parks, affordability, and outdoor score, with no rent cap. The cities that rise pair real outdoor reach with prices the marquee metros lost.
01
Photo by Richard Hedrick on Unsplash
OR · 2.5M metro
Portland tops the Pacific Northwest: an outdoor score of 87, 178 pleasant days, and $1,781 median rent. Real reach to mountains and coast.
$1,781
median rent / month
87
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
178
pleasant days a year
02
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Pexels
OR · 381k metro
Eugene lands second with an outdoor score of 75 and $1,799 rent. PNW access without the Seattle price.
$1,799
median rent / month
75
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
206
pleasant days a year
03
Photo by Thom Milkovic on Unsplash
WA · 4.0M metro
Seattle takes third: $2,193 a month, outdoor score 93, and 182 pleasant days.
$2,193
median rent / month
93
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
182
pleasant days a year
04
Photo by Chris Johnson on Unsplash
WA · 600k metro
Spokane pairs an outdoor score of 81 with $1,520 rent and 164 pleasant days. Trails first, gray skies tolerated.
$1,520
median rent / month
81
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
164
pleasant days a year
05
Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash
OR · 437k metro
Salem earns its spot on outdoor value: $1,642 median rent, outdoor score 69, 201 pleasant days.
$1,642
median rent / month
69
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
201
pleasant days a year
06
Photo by Simon Daoudi on Unsplash
WA · 299k metro
Olympia is the mid-list PNW pick that holds up: $1,991 rent, outdoor score 80, 182 pleasant days.
$1,991
median rent / month
80
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
182
pleasant days a year
07
Photo by Severus Jones on Pexels
WA · 314k metro
Kennewick clears the bar with an outdoor score of 74, $1,686 median rent, and 199 pleasant days.
$1,686
median rent / month
74
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
199
pleasant days a year
We rank by 30% parks, 25% affordability, 25% weather, 15% things to do, and 5% walkability across Washington and Oregon.
find your own top 10
run your numbers