Question 1

How expensive is it to live in Maine per month?

Accepted Answer

Maine's moderate cost of living sits at $2,725 per person per month at CostLiving's benchmark, about 17 percent below the US average ($3,275). The headline number is pulled down by housing costs outside the Portland metro area, which sets the state index. In practice the range is wide. A one-bedroom in Portland or South Portland typically runs $1,700 to $2,500. The same one-bedroom in Bangor runs $900 to $1,400, in Lewiston-Auburn $850 to $1,300, in Presque Isle or smaller inland towns $700 to $1,100. Heating fuel adds $150 to $450 a month in winter for a typical home. Groceries and utilities sit close to the US average. State income tax is progressive to 7.15 percent, and sales tax is 5.5 percent. For the full breakdown, see our Maine cost of living page.

Question 2

How much money do I need to live comfortably in Maine?

Accepted Answer

CostLiving's comfortable benchmark for Maine is $4,225 per person per month, with moderate at $2,725. Both numbers reflect a state-level average that the Portland metro housing market pulls upwards. The state splits into two cost worlds. Portland, South Portland, Scarborough, and the southern coast run materially above the state average: a comfortable one-person life in Portland realistically wants $5,500 to $7,500 a month including housing. Inland Maine, Bangor, and points north sit well below: $3,000 to $4,500 covers a comfortable one-person life in Bangor, Lewiston, Augusta, or smaller towns. For a two-person household, double the housing line and add roughly 60 to 70 percent on other categories. Maine winters add a meaningful heating-fuel line (oil, propane, or pellets) that flat US-average benchmarks understate. For the full breakdown, see our Maine cost of living page.

Question 3

Is it cheaper to live in Maine or Florida?

Accepted Answer

Maine is moderately cheaper than Florida on totals: $2,725 per person per month at moderate versus Florida's figures, a gap of about $850 a month. The composition tells a different story than the headline. Maine has a 5.5 percent sales tax with groceries exempt and modest property taxes; Florida has no state income tax. Tax friendliness depends on whether you earn most of your money from wages (Florida wins) or spend most of it on retail goods (Maine wins). Florida's housing varies dramatically by region: Miami, Naples, and the Keys run well above Maine averages, while Jacksonville, Tampa suburbs, and the Panhandle undercut Portland by 30 to 50 percent. Heating costs are a Maine line that Florida households simply do not have. Cooling costs are a Florida line that runs lighter than Maine's heating bills. For the full breakdown, see our Maine cost of living page.

Question 4

How much is a gallon of gas in Maine?

Accepted Answer

Regular gasoline in Maine averages $4.53 per gallon as of mid-May 2026 per AAA's state tracker, up roughly 50 cents from a month earlier on the back of crude oil pressure tied to Middle East tensions. That sits modestly above the US national average ($4.30 to $4.45 in the same window). Maine is car-dependent outside Portland: Bangor, Lewiston, Augusta, the coast, and rural inland areas all require driving for daily life. CostLiving's moderate Maine budget carries a $122-a-month transport line, which buys roughly 27 gallons at the current price, enough for a 600-mile commute month. Heating oil (a similar refined-fuel product) tracks the same wholesale pressure and matters more in winter. AAA Maine remains the most current daily source. For the full Maine cost picture, see our Maine cost of living page.

Question 5

Is it cheaper to live in Vermont or Maine?

Accepted Answer

Maine and Vermont are essentially tied on moderate cost: Maine $2,725, Vermont $2,950, a gap of $225 a month that reflects Vermont running somewhat higher. Both states share the same Northern New England pattern: cold winters with a meaningful heating-fuel line, MERIC indices well above the US average, and housing pressure concentrated in a few population centres (Portland in Maine, Burlington in Vermont) with much cheaper rural alternatives. Vermont runs slightly higher property taxes than Maine; Maine has marginally higher state income tax brackets at the top. Vermont's per-capita state spending and progressive policy footprint produce higher taxes overall for higher earners. Neither state is materially cheaper than the other on a typical-household basis; choice between them comes down to coastline access (Maine wins), mountains and skiing (Vermont wins), and community character rather than dollars. For the full breakdown, see our Maine cost of living page.

Question 6

Is Maine a tax-friendly state?

Accepted Answer

Maine is middling on tax-friendliness, not especially friendly or unfriendly. Income tax is progressive at 5.8, 6.75, and 7.15 percent across three brackets, with the top rate kicking in around $61,600 single ($123,200 married). Sales tax is 5.5 percent with groceries exempt, well below the high-tax northeast average. Property tax averages roughly 1.24 percent of assessed value annually, broadly mid-pack nationally. Social Security income is not taxed by the state. Pension income is partially exempt up to roughly $30,000 of qualified retirement income per recipient. Capital gains are taxed as ordinary income. Compared with tax havens like Florida or Tennessee (no state income tax), Maine is meaningfully less tax-friendly for high earners. Compared with high-tax neighbours like New York or New Jersey, Maine is friendlier across the board. For the full cost picture, see our Maine cost of living page.

Question 7

Is Maine good for retirees?

Accepted Answer

Maine is a credible retirement option with specific trade-offs. The positives: Social Security income exempt from state tax, partial pension exemption, no estate tax under $6.41 million, low violent crime rates, strong hospital coverage in the Portland-Lewiston-Bangor triangle, mature retiree communities in coastal towns, and walkable urban access in Portland. The negatives: winters are long and require real planning around heating fuel costs and snow management, healthcare is good but rural areas have limited specialist coverage, and property tax can bite for higher-value coastal homes. Maine's moderate cost of living at $2,725 per person per month is workable for Social Security plus a modest pension; inland and northern Maine drop that meaningfully. The Bangor area and mid-coast towns are the most popular retiree destinations balancing cost, healthcare, and infrastructure. For the full cost picture, see our Maine cost of living page.

Question 8

Is Maine still paying people to move there?

Accepted Answer

Maine itself does not run a general "we pay you to move here" programme like Tulsa Remote or West Virginia's Ascend. The persistent online claim usually traces back to the Opportunity Maine Tax Credit, a student-loan repayment programme that reimburses Maine residents for student loan payments via a state income tax credit if they meet qualifying education and residency requirements. Annual credit amounts vary by degree level and graduation year but commonly run $2,000 to $4,500 per year for several years. It is a tax credit, not cash, and is restricted to graduates of qualifying programmes who live and work in Maine. Several Maine towns (Eastport, Millinocket) have run small relocation incentive pilots but none constitute statewide cash relocation grants. The headline cost-of-living tradeoff at Maine's $4,225 comfortable benchmark is the more meaningful financial consideration than any incentive scheme. For the full cost picture, see our Maine cost of living page.

Question 9

What are winters like in Maine?

Accepted Answer

Maine winters are long, cold, and a real line on the household budget. The season runs late October through April, with January and February averaging daily highs in the high 20s Fahrenheit and overnight lows below 10. Heavy snow is routine: northern and inland Maine get 90 to 110 inches a year, the southern coast 60 to 80. The cost impact lands on heating fuel. Most Maine homes still burn heating oil rather than gas or electric, and typical houses run $150 to $450 a month for heat from December through February, well above the $95-a-month utilities line CostLiving's moderate Maine benchmark uses. Winter tyres, snow removal, and warmer clothing add smaller but real costs. Aroostook County and inland sit 5 to 10 degrees colder than coastal Maine. For the full Maine picture, see our Maine cost of living page.

Question 10

Where is the cheapest part of Maine to live?

Accepted Answer

The cheapest parts of Maine are in the north and inland, well away from Portland and the southern coast. Aroostook County (Presque Isle, Caribou, Houlton) consistently posts the lowest housing costs in the state, with one-bedroom rents from $600 to $1,000 and modest detached homes from $90,000 to $180,000. Washington County on the eastern coast (Calais, Machias) sits close behind. Bangor, Lewiston-Auburn, and Augusta offer the cheapest options with proper small-city infrastructure: one-bedroom rents typically $850 to $1,400. The trade-off is distance from Portland's job market and Maine's bigger hospitals. Winters in the north and inland are meaningfully harder than coastal Maine, with longer snow seasons and higher heating fuel use. Many remote workers and retirees pick Bangor or smaller mid-coast towns (Belfast, Rockland) as a balance between low cost and amenities. For the full cost picture, see our Maine cost of living page.

Question 11

Where is the cheapest place to rent in Maine?

Accepted Answer

The cheapest rents in Maine are in Aroostook County and rural Washington County. One-bedroom rents in Presque Isle, Caribou, Houlton, and Calais routinely run $600 to $1,000 a month. Two-bedroom homes for rent in those areas sit at $750 to $1,400. Bangor offers the cheapest rents in a proper small city: one-bedrooms typically $850 to $1,400, two-bedrooms $1,050 to $1,700. Lewiston-Auburn and Augusta are similar to Bangor with slightly more limited inventory. By comparison, Portland one-bedroom rents typically run $1,700 to $2,500 and the southern coast (Kennebunk, Wells, York) often runs higher in summer-let-influenced markets. Cheap rent in Maine usually means accepting longer winters, longer drives to major hospitals and airports, and a smaller job market. For the full cost picture, see our Maine cost of living page.

Maine Cost of Living Questions