Salary comparison
Medical Assistants: Longview vs Portland
Longview, WA pays about 9.3% more for medical assistants on paper — $61,480 vs $56,240. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Longview comes out ahead by $5,240 a year in real buying power.
Longview, WA
$61,480
$51,330
$61,890
$29.56
100
$61,480/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Portland, OR
$56,240
$48,750
$61,240
$27.04
100
$56,240/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $5,240 a year (9.3%) in favor of Longview. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Longview runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Portland sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Longview is the better deal by $5,240 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Portland to Longview for this role, the raise needs to beat 9.3% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do medical assistants earn more, Longview or Portland?
Longview pays $61,480 on median — about 9.3% more than Portland ($56,240). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Longview. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Longview gives you roughly$61,480 of real buying power versus $56,240 in the other city.