Overall
96.5
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Bangor, ME
Cost-of-living indicators for Bangor, ME, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 96.5
- Overall RPP
- #136
- of 387 metros
- 77.7
- Rents RPP
- $104K
- $100K national buys
Bangor ranks #136 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has risen 2.6 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- similar cost to Asheville
The verdict
Bangor costs less than 35% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 96.5, 3.5% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 134.8.
- bottom 65%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 97.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 134.8
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $103,618 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $96,508.
Bangor vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
97 Top 35% higher than 65% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Bangor cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
77.7 RPP
- Services
Services
134.8 RPP
- Overall
Overall
96.5 RPP
- Goods
Goods
97.2 RPP
What this shows Bangor's strongest departure is services at 134.8; rents follows at 77.7. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Bangor's cost comes from
Metros near Bangor's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Bangor (Bangor, this metro): goods RPP 97.2, rents RPP 77.7
- Asheville: goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 93.4
- Cheyenne: goods RPP 95.4, rents RPP 89.8
- Winchester: goods RPP 96.7, rents RPP 90
- Missoula: goods RPP 96, rents RPP 94.9
- Wilmington: goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 93.2
- Kankakee: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 92.9
Price Index Summary
Goods
97.2
Below avg
Services
134.8
Expensive
Rents
77.7
Cheap
Service-cost-led profile
How Bangor's cost structure works
Services are the defining pressure in Bangor: the BEA services component is 134.8, farther above the national baseline than local rents or tradable goods. That service-heavy pattern explains an overall RPP of 96.5 differently from a housing-led metro.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Glens Falls, NY, Syracuse, NY, Elmira, NY. They resemble Bangor across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Bangor's overall index has risen by 2.6 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending upward, increasing by 2.6 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2014, when the index dropped 7.5 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Bangor overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 93.9 |
| 2009 | 92.1 |
| 2010 | 96.5 |
| 2011 | 93.9 |
| 2012 | 96.3 |
| 2013 | 99.5 |
| 2014 | 92.1 |
| 2015 | 92.8 |
| 2016 | 93.4 |
| 2017 | 94.6 |
| 2018 | 93.9 |
| 2019 | 96.6 |
| 2020 | 97.5 |
| 2021 | 96.8 |
| 2022 | 96.6 |
| 2023 | 92.3 |
| 2024 | 96.5 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Bangor's overall RPP rose +4.2 points, from 92.3 in 2023 to 96.5 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 56.1 to 77.7. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$96,508
in Bangor, ME purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$48,254
$75,000 nationally
$72,381
$125,000 nationally
$120,635
$150,000 nationally
$144,762
$200,000 nationally
$193,016
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
53/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
53rd percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Bangor's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Glens Falls, NY
Goods 99.7 · Services 133.8 · Rents 76.2 Syracuse, NY
Goods 99.7 · Services 133.4 · Rents 80.7 Elmira, NY
Goods 99.7 · Services 131.6 · Rents 76.4 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
Goods 99.7 · Services 129.5 · Rents 81.0 Lewiston-Auburn, ME
Goods 97.2 · Services 134.4 · Rents 69.0 Binghamton, NY
Goods 99.7 · Services 131.6 · Rents 69.7
ME-relative analysis
Goods prices places Bangor, ME near the bottom of ME's metros
Among the 3 ME metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Bangor, ME ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Bangor, ME only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 3
0th percentile in ME
Services prices
#1 of 3
67th percentile in ME
Rent prices
#2 of 3
33rd percentile in ME
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within ME only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Bangor, ME: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (96.5 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (77.7 here).
Other ME Metros
View all ME metros → Cheapest in ME → Most expensive in ME →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Bangor, ME's index of 96.5.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
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Take this cost snapshot with you
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What this means for Bangor
How to read Bangor's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $103,618 in Bangor. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 134.8, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Bangor head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Bangor, ME?
Bangor, ME has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 96.5, meaning it is 3.5% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 97.2, services at 134.8, and rents at 77.7. It ranks #136 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Bangor, ME to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $96,508 in Bangor, ME. Conversely, $100K earned in Bangor, ME has the purchasing power of $103,618 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Bangor, ME?
Rents in Bangor, ME are indexed at 77.7, which is 22.3% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Bangor, ME getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Bangor, ME's overall cost index changed by +2.6 points (from 93.9 to 96.5). The cost of living has been trending upward.
What costs the most in Bangor, ME?
The priciest category in Bangor, ME is services at 134.8, 34.8% above the national average. The most affordable category is rents at 77.7, 22.3% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Bangor, ME?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Asheville, Cheyenne, Winchester. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Bangor, ME's 96.5.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.