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Out of the three, Spokane and Boise are probably a little bit more stable economically, though Portland is much more diversified. Portland has much more to offer a job seeker overall, being a metro of over 2 million versus Spokane and Boise's 600,000 each. Cost of living is what will get you in Portland. Housing is much more expensive. Rent in the suburbs is not a lot greater than that of Spokane or Boise, but inner city housing prices in Portland are high. Tax does play a roll in affordability here.
Boise - low income tax, relatively low sales tax
Spokane - no income tax, moderately high sales tax (necessary food items are not taxed in WA however)
Portland - moderately high income tax, no sales tax.
Washington's tax structure is the most progressive in that you will not see a large portion of your check getting taken by the state, and you can control how much tax you put into the state based on what you buy. I lived in Portland for a bit, and the bite Oregon took out of my paycheck hurt a bit; made me glad there was no sales tax. I grew up in Idaho and found the income/sales tax combo to be manageable. Wages on average (I'm in the architecture business) are highest in Washington and lowest in Idaho. I've found Washington to have the strongest and most stable economy of the three.
Last edited by DJKirkland; 06-07-2010 at 01:57 PM..
Out of the three, Spokane and Boise are probably a little bit more stable economically, though Portland is much more diversified. Portland has much more to offer a job seeker overall, being a metro of over 2 million versus Spokane and Boise's 600,000 each. Cost of living is what will get you in Portland. Housing is much more expensive. Rent in the suburbs is not a lot greater than that of Spokane or Boise, but inner city housing prices in Portland are high. Tax does play a roll in affordability here.
Boise - low income tax, relatively low sales tax
Spokane - no income tax, moderately high sales tax (necessary food items are not taxed in WA however)
Portland - moderately high income tax, no sales tax.
Washington's tax structure is the most progressive in that you will not see a large portion of your check getting taken by the state, and you can control how much tax you put into the state based on what you buy. I lived in Portland for a bit, and the bite Oregon took out of my paycheck hurt a bit; made me glad there was no sales tax. I grew up in Idaho and found the income/sales tax combo to be manageable. Wages on average (I'm in the architecture business) are highest in Washington and lowest in Idaho. I've found Washington to have the strongest and most stable economy of the three.
Thank you DJ Kirkland. It's a toss up between Boise or Spokane. Portland is a bit too large for my liking and a bit too expensive.
Good luck with your choice - those two are awfully similar so you probably can't go wrong. I think personally when (and if) the economy picks up, Boise will probably continue to outpace Spokane's growth due to Idaho's more competitive business climate.
The Portland area is larger than Spokane and Boise combined, its in a whole different category of cities. So if you're interested in urban living, then Portland. Small town living, then Spokane or Boise. From what I hear, Boise may be slightly more progressive these days than Spokane.
The Portland area is larger than Spokane and Boise combined, its in a whole different category of cities. So if you're interested in urban living, then Portland. Small town living, then Spokane or Boise. From what I hear, Boise may be slightly more progressive these days than Spokane.
Portland in a lot of ways is just an overgrown town, it is obviously much larger than the other two cities, but extremely relaxed and to me does not have that "big city" feel to it. Seattle is a different story. Boise is almost a complete opposite of Spokane, Boise is much more progressive and vibrant. To be honest, all three cities have similar features and share similar lifestyles.
Portland in a lot of ways is just an overgrown town, it is obviously much larger than the other two cities, but extremely relaxed and to me does not have that "big city" feel to it. Seattle is a different story. Boise is almost a complete opposite of Spokane, Boise is much more progressive and vibrant. To be honest, all three cities have similar features and share similar lifestyles.
I've always felt the same way. Portland has a great quality of life (aside from the rain).
Perhaps a better comparison would be Eugene, OR, Spokane, WA, and Boise, ID. Portland tops Spokane and Boise around the board.
I'm not a fan of Spokane, mostly because it just seems stuck in the past, much like Syringaloid noted.
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