I grew up on the southern OR coast. Beautiful, quirky, red-neck lumber and fishing town.I often think about returning and where I'd go, and what I might afford. The major tourist destinations like Cannon Beach and Newport are a bit much for me in terms of crowds in season (and even non-major destinations like Manzanita are getting crowded), but you get better options for dining out, groceries, and town infrastructure resources as a trade-off.Outside of those places, I'd consider how much isolation you can take, or how far you might be willing to drive to get to a city with decent resources. If these aren't big concerns, then the far southern end of the OR Coast is pretty awesome, although there are some pockets of touristy expense even there E.g., take the odd coastal golf destination of Bandon, which was a favorite town growing up for its really great beaches - now they have a major golf course there and some restaurants have stepped in to serve that clientele, but it is still way out there and pretty small, and worth checking out. South of Bandon, it remains really beautiful and more and more remote, with an often rougher and more quirky population/culture (and the rough part is not to be ignored).If you do need access to a city, then the otherwise pretty average destination of Florence is an easy shot over to Eugene. The towns within easy access of Portland are going to be more expensive places to live.Good luck.
