Overall
101.9
Above avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Portland-South Portland, ME
Cost-of-living indicators for Portland-South Portland, ME, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 101.9
- Overall RPP
- #58
- of 387 metros
- 105.2
- Rents RPP
- $98K
- $100K national buys
Portland ranks #58 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Providence-Warwick
The verdict
Portland is more expensive than 85% of U.S. metros, an overall cost index of 101.9, 1.9% above the national average, led by services at 134.6.
- top 15%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 97.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 134.6
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $98,176 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $101,858.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Portland's overall RPP fell -2.5 points, from 104.4 in 2023 to 101.9 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 119.4 to 105.2. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.6 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2014, when the index dropped 8.6 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Portland overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 102.5 |
| 2009 | 103.1 |
| 2010 | 100.9 |
| 2011 | 98.6 |
| 2012 | 101.3 |
| 2013 | 103.0 |
| 2014 | 94.5 |
| 2015 | 99.9 |
| 2016 | 102.3 |
| 2017 | 102.2 |
| 2018 | 101.9 |
| 2019 | 97.6 |
| 2020 | 102.6 |
| 2021 | 101.9 |
| 2022 | 104.8 |
| 2023 | 104.4 |
| 2024 | 101.9 |
Portland vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
102 Top 15% higher than 85% 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
Portland cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
105.2 RPP
- Services
Services
134.6 RPP
- Overall
Overall
101.9 RPP
- Goods
Goods
97.2 RPP
What this shows Portland's strongest departure is services at 134.6; rents follows at 105.2. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Portland's cost comes from
Metros near Portland's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Portland (Portland, this metro): goods RPP 97.2, rents RPP 105.2
- Providence: goods RPP 97.1, rents RPP 103.9
- Albany: goods RPP 105.3, rents RPP 101.1
- Hanford: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 93.5
- Eugene: goods RPP 105.3, rents RPP 98.4
- Fresno: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 95.7
- Medford: goods RPP 105.3, rents RPP 97.7
Price Index Summary
Goods
97.2
Below avg
Services
134.6
Expensive
Rents
105.2
Above avg
Service-cost-led profile
How Portland's cost structure works
Services are the defining pressure in Portland: the BEA services component is 134.6, farther above the national baseline than local rents or tradable goods. That service-heavy pattern explains an overall RPP of 101.9 differently from a housing-led metro.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY, Kingston, NY, Burlington-South Burlington, VT. They resemble Portland 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, Portland's overall index has stayed within 0.6 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.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$101,858
in Portland-South Portland, ME purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$50,929
$75,000 nationally
$76,394
$125,000 nationally
$127,323
$150,000 nationally
$152,787
$200,000 nationally
$203,716
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
21/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
21st 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.
ME-relative analysis
Goods prices places Portland-South Portland, ME near the bottom of ME's metros
Among the 3 ME metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Portland-South Portland, ME ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Portland-South Portland, ME only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 3
0th percentile in ME
Services prices
#2 of 3
33rd percentile in ME
Rent prices
#1 of 3
67th 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 Portland-South Portland, 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 (101.9 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (105.2 here).
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Rents 105.5 Boise City, ID Rents 105.6 Coeur d'Alene, ID Rents 105.6 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN Rents 104.6 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Rents 104.5 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT Rents 104.1 Burlington-South Burlington, VT Rents 103.8 Lexington Park, MD Rents 103.8
Other ME Metros
View all ME metros → Cheapest in ME → Most expensive in ME →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Portland'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.
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
Goods 99.7 · Services 134.0 · Rents 102.6 Kingston, NY
Goods 99.7 · Services 133.6 · Rents 110.2 Burlington-South Burlington, VT
Goods 97.3 · Services 125.5 · Rents 103.8 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
Goods 97.3 · Services 144.9 · Rents 110.2 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
Goods 97.1 · Services 148.8 · Rents 103.9 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY
Goods 110.3 · Services 136.8 · Rents 115.8
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Portland-South Portland, ME's index of 101.9.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
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
What this means for Portland
How to read Portland'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 $98,176 in Portland. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 134.6, 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 Portland 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 Portland-South Portland, ME?
Portland-South Portland, ME has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 101.9, meaning it is 1.9% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 97.2, services at 134.6, and rents at 105.2. It ranks #58 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Portland-South Portland, ME to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $101,858 in Portland-South Portland, ME. Conversely, $100K earned in Portland-South Portland, ME has the purchasing power of $98,176 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Portland-South Portland, ME?
Rents in Portland-South Portland, ME are indexed at 105.2, which is 5.2% above the national average. This is close to the U.S. average.
Is Portland-South Portland, ME getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Portland-South Portland, ME's overall cost index changed by -0.6 points (from 102.5 to 101.9). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Portland-South Portland, ME?
The priciest category in Portland-South Portland, ME is services at 134.6, 34.6% above the national average. The most affordable category is goods at 97.2, 2.8% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Portland-South Portland, ME?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Providence-Warwick, Albany, Hanford-Corcoran. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Portland-South Portland, ME's 101.9.
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.