Summary
- Three Portland moving companies advertise exactly the same rate, $187.30 an hour for two movers and a truck, and Portland HVAC contractors that post a fee charge $149 or $189 to diagnose a problem.
- Oregon has no sales tax, so those are the prices you pay.
*Marketit research | October 2026*
Three Portland moving companies advertise exactly the same rate, $187.30 an hour for two movers and a truck, and Portland HVAC contractors that post a fee charge $149 or $189 to diagnose a problem. Oregon has no sales tax, so those are the prices you pay. We found these and the other prices on this page on the websites of 72 Portland electricians, plumbers, HVAC contractors, carpenters, roofers and movers in October 2026, as part of the US Home Services Price Transparency Report 2026.
For each trade you'll find what Portland businesses advertise, the national figures from the same study, what Portland-area tradespeople earn according to federal data, and the Oregon rules that affect the bill.
Portland prices at a glance
| Job | What Portland businesses advertise | US median in the study |
|---|---|---|
| Two movers and a truck, per hour | $140 to $187.30; three companies charge exactly $187.30 (5 businesses) | $142.50 (46 businesses) |
| Each additional mover, per hour | $57.25 to $73 (4 businesses) | $50 |
| HVAC diagnostic or service call | $149 and $189 (2 businesses) | $89.95 (37 businesses) |
| New gas furnace, starting price | From $4,970 (1 business) | $4,200 (5 businesses) |
| Drain cleaning, starting price | From $68 (1 business) | $147.50 for a single drain (12 businesses) |
| Water heater, starting price | From $1,550 (1 business) | From $1,900 (5 businesses) |
| Roof repair, first hour | $325, then $225 an hour (1 business) | No national median |
The moving figures come from five Portland companies. The others come from one or two businesses each, so treat them as examples of what local firms charge rather than a typical Portland price. The national medians come from all 25 metros in the study. All of them are advertised prices, not final bills.
How many Portland businesses post prices
14 of the 72 Portland businesses we checked list a price on their website (19.4%), against 13.8% across all 25 metros. Portland is one of the five Pacific Coast metros, where one in five businesses lists a price, compared with one in eight elsewhere.
| Trade | Businesses checked | With a price |
|---|---|---|
| Moving companies | 12 | 7 |
| HVAC contractors | 12 | 2 |
| Plumbers | 12 | 2 |
| Roofers | 12 | 2 |
| Electricians | 12 | 1 |
| Carpenters | 12 | 0 |
Moving companies account for 7 of Portland's 14. With about 12 businesses per trade, read these as counts rather than rates.
What Portland tradespeople earn
Portland-area electricians earn 66% more than the national median, the highest electrician wage of the 25 metros in the study, and plumbers earn 58% more. HVAC technicians, carpenters and roofers earn 7% to 22% more, according to federal wage data.
| Trade | Portland-area median wage | US median wage | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricians | $50.53 an hour | $30.38 an hour | +66% |
| Plumbers | $48.56 an hour | $30.67 an hour | +58% |
| HVAC mechanics and installers | $31.38 an hour | $29.33 an hour | +7% |
| Carpenters | $35.44 an hour | $29.12 an hour | +22% |
| Roofers | $29.43 an hour | $26.65 an hour | +10% |
The figures are Bureau of Labor Statistics data for May 2025 for the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area. They show what workers are paid, not what customers are charged. A business's rate also has to cover travel, vehicles, insurance and overhead.
Movers in Portland
Seven of the 12 Portland moving companies list rates. Three of them advertise exactly $187.30 an hour for two movers and a truck. One of those adds $259.95 for three movers, $332.60 for four and $72.65 for each extra mover; another lists $72.65 per extra crew member and $42 for an extra truck; the third charges $150.35 an hour when time is counted from its terminal instead of from your door. A fourth company charges $180 an hour for two movers and one truck, $253 for three and up to $506 for six movers and two trucks. A fifth charges $140 an hour for two movers and a truck and $57.25 per extra mover. The other two price small, medium and large crews at $160, $228 and $296 an hour plus drive time, and labor-only help from $89 an hour.
Nationally, the median is $142.50 an hour for two movers and a truck, and $50 an hour for each extra mover. Most Portland two-mover rates sit $37.50 to $44.80 above that.
In Oregon, final charges for moves within the state "must be based upon rates published in the mover's tariff and approved by" the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT bulletin). That may explain why so many Portland movers post a rate, and why three post the same one, but the study can't show it. More in our moving price guide.
HVAC contractors in Portland
Two of the 12 Portland HVAC contractors list prices. One charges a $189 diagnostic, credited to the repair, and gives starting prices for new equipment: gas furnaces from $4,970, heat pumps and ductless mini-splits from $5,995 and air conditioners from $6,995. The other charges $149 for a service call and diagnostics.
Both fees are well above the national median diagnostic fee of $89.95, and the $189 fee is near the top of the $75 to $200 that HomeAdvisor's AC repair guide gives. The $4,970 furnace price is the highest of the five furnace starting prices in the study, which have a median of $4,200, and inside the $2,823 to $6,897 that HomeAdvisor's furnace guide gives. More in our HVAC price guide.
Plumbers in Portland
Two of the 12 Portland plumbers list prices. One starts drain cleaning at $68, water heaters at $1,550 and repiping a one-bathroom home at $5,550. The other charges $139 for an inspection.
The $68 drain cleaning price is less than half the national median of $147.50 for a single drain, and the water heater price starts below the national median starting price of $1,900. HomeAdvisor's water heater guide gives $600 to $2,500 for a tank model. Portland-area plumbers earn a median $48.56 an hour, 58% above the national median. More in our plumber price guide.
Roofers in Portland
Two of the 12 Portland roofers list prices. One charges $325 for the first hour of a repair and $225 for each additional hour, up to three hours. The other replaces rotted wood at $85 per worker-hour.
Roofers are the trade least likely to post a price nationally (7.5%). HomeAdvisor's roof repair guide puts a typical repair at $395 to $1,968, with an average of $1,174. A three-hour repair at the first Portland roofer's rates comes to $775 before materials.
Electricians in Portland
One of the 12 Portland electricians lists a price: $150 an hour for electrical work on food carts.
For homes, national figures are the best guide. Electricians that post a fee just to come out charge a median of $77, or $149 to $275 for a visit that includes troubleshooting or the first hour. HomeAdvisor's electrician guide gives $100 to $200 for a service call that covers the first hour. Portland-area electricians earn a median $50.53 an hour, the highest of the 25 metros. More in our electrician price guide.
Carpenters in Portland
None of the 12 Portland carpenters we checked list a price. Portland-area carpenters earn a median $35.44 an hour, 22% above the national median.
Sales tax on Portland home repairs
Oregon has no general sales tax, so Portland quotes carry no sales tax on labor or materials. Across the river in Vancouver, Washington rules apply: contractors there must collect sales tax on the full contract price for construction work (Washington Department of Revenue).
Checking a Portland contractor
Anyone paid to do construction work on an Oregon home needs a license from the Construction Contractors Board. The board's Contractor/License Search shows whether a license is active, and its homepage puts it plainly: "Anyone can pretend to be a contractor. Check licenses" (Oregon CCB). Electricians and plumbers also need individual licenses from the state's Building Codes Division.
How the figures were collected
Portland prices come from the websites of 72 Portland businesses, the top Google Maps results with their own website for each of six trades. The sites were read in October 2026 and coded with an AI-assisted process against a written codebook. National medians come from all 1,782 businesses in the study, each counted once at its lowest price for a job. Wage figures are Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025, via O*NET OnLine. Full method and limitations: US Home Services Price Transparency Report 2026.