Student rents in Portland have risen more slowly than the region's broader rental market over the past five years, but the gap still leaves many struggling with affordability, according to Moody's data shared with Axios.

Why it matters: Pricey student housing adds to the already-high cost of college, which has increased by nearly 30% in Oregon over the last decade.

By the numbers: Average student rents in Portland grew by 18% from 2020 to 2025, while average market-rate rents grew 25%.

• A one-bedroom apartment in Portland State University's Blumel Residence Hall costs $1,757 a month, which is on par with the city's average rent, per RentCafe.
• At Reed College, rent for a one-bedroom on campus is slightly cheaper at $6,070 per semester (roughly four months, so about $1,500 a month).

Yes, but: Once students leave on-campus housing, they face a dearth of affordable options and square footage.

• Oregon's housing shortage — compounded by decades of under-building and development delays during the pandemic — is directly responsible for rising rents, according to the state's own analysis.
• Plus: Rapid rental increases "have largely eroded" wage gains for renters over the last five years, that analysis found.

The big picture: Nationally, rent growth for market-rate apartments has been outpacing that of student housing, Ricardo Rosas, Moody's associate data scientist, told Axios.

• However, over the past five years, roughly 24% of 140 colleges and universities analyzed in a recent report saw student rents grow faster than market-rate rents.

Between the lines: When rents rise in a metro area, student housing tends to follow suit, research suggests.

• Strong demand to live near campus instead of elsewhere in the metro can also keep student rents high.
• So can luxury apartments (think saunas, fitness studios and infinity pools), which have moved into many student housing markets.

The bottom line: "While multifamily rents continue to command higher rates, the rapid growth in student housing rents is creating a mounting affordability crisis for students," according to Moody's analysis.

• The financial strain could limit access to higher education, especially for lower-income students.

The art one collects is often a reflection of who they are and what they value.

• For Jordan Schnitzer — one of Portland's wealthiest developers and philanthropists — that means work by world-renowned contemporaries and multi-modal artists whose creations span sculpture, painting, photography and textiles.

The latest: In a new exhibition at Portland Art Museum called "Global Icons, Local Spotlight," more than 75 pieces of art from Schnitzer's private collection are on display through January.

• It offers an intimate look at pieces that would otherwise be out of reach for Portlanders, bringing the cultural caliber of New York City's MoMA or the Whitney to our own backyard.

Zoom in: Take Christopher Myers' immersive, illuminated stained glass paintings, situated in a makeshift chapel in the museum's sculpture court. The collection has only been seen at Miami's Art Basel before this.

• Inside, there's Jeff Koons' "gazing ball" series on a print of the "Mona Lisa," wood-carved totems from Keith Haring, and a large-scale black-and-white photo (with the classic red caption) by Barbara Kruger.
• Paintings from Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley — both known for their respective portraits of the Obamas — are also on display.

If you go: "Global Icons, Local Spotlight: Contemporary Art from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer" is on display at the Portland Art Museum (1219 SW Park Ave.) through Jan. 11.

• General admission tickets are $25.

Tell an art lover

🏛️ The Portland City Council has struggled to find its "governance groove" in its inaugural year — spending hours debating procedure and rules without passing much new policy. (The Oregonian)

🌇 A new report from Portland Clean and Safe found foot traffic downtown this summer was the highest its been since the pandemic. (KATU)

🏡 Luxury home sales in Portland are bucking market trends and high interest rates. (Portland Business Journal)

A reduction in state funding is forcing some of Oregon's prominent homeless service providers and tenant advocacy groups to lay off staff, and cut back on eviction protection and legal assistance programs. (OPB)

Portlanders have likely had some sticker shock at the supermarket recently with virtually all major grocery categories more expensive than they were a year ago, some substantially so.

Driving the news: The food-at-home component of the Consumer Price Index rose 0.6% in August from July, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said last week.

• This was the biggest month-over-month increase since August 2022, the tail end of a year of huge monthly increases in grocery prices.

The big picture: President Trump has framed his tariffs on China, steel and other imports as a way to protect American workers and bring down costs.

• But those same trade barriers can raise input costs — from fertilizer to machinery to transportation — that ripple through food prices.

For the record: A White House official notes that the annualized pace of grocery inflation since Trump took office is 1.8%, a low figure that is less than the late Biden era.

• The August data, on its own, does not make a trend, the official adds.

Yes, but: Portlanders looking to pinch pennies at the supermarket are in luck — there's a whole newsletter dedicated to just that.