Eugene, Oregon

What's the cost of living in Eugene, OR?

Unfortunately for homebuyers who are in the market for a $300,000 to $500,000 “starter home,” the Eugene housing market is tight. 

Eugene’s rent cost is around the national average, but an urban growth boundary paired with the city’s desirability can make it tough to secure a place to live.

While Lane County’s property tax rate may be comparable to the rest of the United States, high home prices mean comparably high property taxes.

Looking for financial advice? Find a local financial advisor in Eugene, Oregon.

What's the best way to get around Eugene, OR?

By bike, of course! Arriving by Bike, a local bicycle store, tallied Eugene’s vast bike network and found  “46 miles of shared-use paths, 187 miles of on-street bicycle lanes, 71 miles of signed bikeways, five bicycle-pedestrian bridges spanning the Willamette River and two bicycle/pedestrian bridges spanning major roads or highways.”

This two-wheeled accessibility maintains Eugene’s certified gold status from the League of American Bicyclists. The city maintains bike lanes, bike boulevards and an excellent off-street trail network to deliver riders where they need to go.

Motor vehicle drivers can almost always find parking at free, time-restricted and metered street parking spots and in one of two downtown parking garages. 

Bus riders can hop on one of a fleet of buses with 34 fixed routes in the Lane County Transit District throughout the Eugene-Springfield metro area and take advantage of rural service for outlying communities including McKenzie Bridge, Veneta and Junction City. All buses have bicycle racks and are wheelchair accessible. LTD estimates accommodating approximately 15,427 bicycles each month. 

LTD’s downtown bus station is just blocks away from the Amtrak station, housed in the rehabilitated 1908 Southern Pacific depot. Travelers to and from farther outposts can use the Eugene Airport, approximately seven miles west of the city. The airport maintains two runways and one terminal. Five airlines operate from the Eugene Airport and provide flights to primarily West Coast destinations, although the airport also has service to Chicago. Passengers traveling to other locations can either connect with flights in San Francisco, Portland and Seattle or make the drive or bus ride north to the Portland International Airport, about 100 miles away.

Who lives in Eugene, OR?

There’s an eclectic mix of quirky progressives and wanderers who define the culture mixed with a professional population, many of whom serve the 20,000 students who attend the University of Oregon. 

The funky foundation of this group included writer Ken Kesey, who abandoned his Merry Pranksters for a more tranquil, rural life in nearby Pleasant Hill. Kesey and the counterculture’s spirit, however, still beats in a civically active streak, often accompanied by an eccentric and tie-dyed fashion scene. 

Beyond students and academic professionals, a body of primarily college-educated citizens make up the suburban topography that stretches in about a five-mile diameter around the city. 

The area’s incredible scenery, mild weather and outdoor opportunities fuel continued growth of 1,000 people each year to Eugene’s more than 170,000 people, the second-largest metro population in the state.