Northeast · Updated October 2026
Maine in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$1,714/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
26.9%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
7.15%
top marginal rate, single filer
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
0.91%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
100.8
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
22nd
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
Where Maine stands out: the lowest violent crime and the 9th lowest natural-disaster risk among the 50 states.
What to weigh: the 7th biggest rent-to-income bite and the 10th highest top income-tax rate.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 7.4% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the 24th highest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in Portland (Portland Intl Jetport station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 35°F | 18°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 53°F | 36°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 77°F | 59°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 60°F | 42°F |
$2,353/mo two-bedroom · $1,864 one-bedroom (Portland, ME HUD Metro FMR Area)
Portland, Maine is a small coastal city with an extraordinary restaurant scene for its size, a working waterfront and brick-lined streets. Winters are long, housing has become expensive, and the job market is narrow outside hospitality and healthcare.
$1,722/mo two-bedroom · $1,380 one-bedroom (Bangor, ME HUD Metro FMR Area)
Bangor is inland Maine's regional hub — cheap, practical, with a hospital system and access to the north woods. Long cold winters and a much lower cost of living than the coast.
$1,374/mo two-bedroom · $1,050 one-bedroom (Kennebec County, ME)
Augusta is Maine's small state capital on the Kennebec River, with government employment and very affordable housing. Quiet, modest, and central to the state's population.
$1,677/mo two-bedroom · $1,282 one-bedroom (Lewiston-Auburn, ME MSA)
Lewiston, with twin city Auburn across the Androscoggin, is Maine's second-largest city, with old mill buildings, Bates College and a large Somali community. Affordable for Maine, with cold winters.
$1,484/mo two-bedroom · $1,171 one-bedroom (Hancock County, ME)
Bar Harbor is the gateway to Acadia National Park — spectacular scenery, packed in summer, near-dormant in winter. Housing is scarce and costly, and most employment is seasonal.
$1,792/mo two-bedroom · $1,500 one-bedroom (York County, ME (part) HUD Metro FMR Area)
Kennebunkport is a wealthy, picturesque coastal village with beaches, inns and a large seasonal population. Expensive and very quiet off-season, with limited year-round work.
$1,503/mo two-bedroom · $1,236 one-bedroom (Knox County, ME)
Camden is a picture-perfect harbour town on Penobscot Bay, with windjammers and hills rising behind it. Popular with retirees and summer people, so housing is expensive and winters are quiet.
$1,175/mo two-bedroom · $898 one-bedroom (Aroostook County, ME)
Presque Isle is a small city in Aroostook County at Maine's northern tip, with potato farming and a University of Maine campus. Very cheap, very remote, and among the coldest and snowiest places in New England.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
Yes. Maine’s top marginal income-tax rate for a single filer is 7.15% (Maine tax law, 2026). Counting property and sales tax too, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 7.4% of income in state and local taxes (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $1,714 a month and a one-bedroom for about $1,362, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $45 less than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 100.8 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 94.8 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 26.9% of the state’s median household income of $76,442.
Maine recorded 100.1 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the lowest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are severe winter storms. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Maine’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 22nd percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include Portland, Bangor, Augusta, Lewiston and Bar Harbor. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.