Sandy vs Tualatin

Which is the better fit for you?

Sandy, OR
57
Area Score
Bottom 43% nationally
Tualatin, OR
60
Area Score
Top 45% nationally

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Tualatin receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Sandy to Tualatin

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 106.7 against 106.7 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
The same
HUD benchmarks it at $1,922 in Tualatin against $1,922 in Sandy.
The median home
34% more
$628,200 in Tualatin against $470,300 in Sandy.
The weather you would swap
Winters 1°F colder
Normal January lows are 36°F in Tualatin against 37°F in Sandy; July highs are 83°F against 82°F (summers 1°F hotter).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Sandy
Tualatin
Opportunity: Tualatin is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
51 · Bottom 38%
vs
58 · Top 46%
Growth: Tualatin is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
34 · Bottom 21%
vs
38 · Bottom 26%
Climate: Sandy is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
78 · Top 22%
vs
74 · Top 35%
Physical resilience: Tualatin is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
48 · Bottom 41%
vs
52 · Bottom 45%
Housing affordability: Tualatin is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
55 · Bottom 28%
vs
56 · Bottom 29%
Schools: Tualatin is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
68 · Top 26%
vs
74 · Top 19%
Access: Tualatin is the more favorable of the two.
Access
88 · Bottom 34%
vs
90 · Bottom 41%
Economic stability: Sandy is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
68 · Top 28%
vs
66 · Top 33%

Measured values

MetricSandyTualatinSource period
Population12,85427,7632024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$108,984 ±$18,920$104,043 ±$5,4482024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$42,676$50,864 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density3,480/sq mi3,298/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$470,300$628,2002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$1,861 ±$218$1,806 ±$412024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,922$1,922FY2026
Cost of living index106.7106.72023
Homeownership rate74.7%55.1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate5.0%4.8% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)−0.7% — more favorable−0.8%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher29.7%46.5% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate7.8% ±3%9.4% ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)258112 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents1.92.9 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−56.9%−47.1%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high82°F83°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low37°F36°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation40.7"39.5"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport21 mi17 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute28.7 min23.1 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age34.837.42024 ACS 5-Year
Students per teacher19.218.2 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency47.5%48.3% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency64.9%66.7% — more favorable2018-19 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

3 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Physical risk tradeoff

Sandy

Elevated or high exposure: earthquake, heat wave.

Tualatin

Elevated or high exposure: earthquake.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Sandy
—
Sandy: Your Score
57
Area Score
Tualatin
—
Tualatin: Your Score
60
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Sandy, OR · Tualatin, OR · How this is calculated: methodology