Cost of Living in Portland

[FRx]

I moved to Portland, OR 3 years ago as a single doctor and it's been incredibly easy to live a low-cost lifestyle here.
I bought a tiny studio condo for less than $150k and only have property taxes and HOA dues (about $350/month for both).
Utilities are another $80/month (electricity/internet).

What I like most about PDX is that I can socialize and meet people on the cheap. Plenty of cheap restaurants and happy hours. I've met most of my friends rock climbing which is a fairly cheap sport.

The libraries, the parks, the great urban scenic walks, and plenty of get-togethers with friends makes it easy to spend my free time.

I know a house can set you back at least $500k and realistically $650k but there are plenty of sub-$200k condo still.

Curious what other people think of Portland and if there are other similar cities in your opinion.

[George the original one]

Multnomah County is more expensive than Clackamas County and by living in Milwaukie or Gladstone, it is possible to get the Portland benefits for a lower price. Entry level houses are $300k and you'll likely be paying less than $300/mo for property taxes. Living in Portland proper puts you at risk of taxes levied by Portland City Council.

Portland's water/sewer bills are known to be high cost compared to surrounding locales due to the combined sewage overflow remediation.

It's been too long since I looked at Washington County homes to know how they fare in comparison.

Vancouver, WA, was historically seen as lower cost due to lower taxes, but that was because of a lack of infrastructure. When Vancouver expanded in the '80s-90s, the need for infrastructure eliminated the tax benefit. And commuting to Portland from Vancouver sucks because there are only 2 relatively narrow bridges.

[C40]

Should we do a Portland ERE meetup? (I'll be in and near Portland for at least the next few months)

[George the original one]

Portland ERE meetup sounds good.

[Reviarg]

I will be moving to Portland, OR in the next months and would appreciate if any tips/hints on utilizing the ERE tips in the area. Right now there are 3 of us (my wife and 1 yr old son), a 100 lb dog, and our cat. I just finished the book last week so I'm still digesting the information in ERE but there were many ideas in the book that I have thought about.
Any updates regarding the Portland ERE meetup? I'm game once I move.