State cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cost of Living in Maine
Statewide Regional Price Parities for Maine from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100, across 3 metro areas.
- 97.0
- Statewide RPP
- #26
- of 51 states by cost
- 78.9
- Rents RPP
- 3
- Metro areas
Maine ranks #26 of 51 states by cost, and its statewide price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- fell -0.9 points in the 2023-2024 release
- similar cost to Texas
The verdict
Maine costs less than 51% of U.S. states, a statewide index of 97.0, 3.0% below the national average.
- Services
- furthest category from 100, at 135.2
- Texas
- closest statewide cost peer, 0.0 points away
- Portland-South Portland
- highest-cost metro, 101.9
- Lewiston-Auburn
- lowest-cost metro, 94.7
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $103,040 when earned in Maine.
Maine vs every U.S. state
Where this state sits in the national cost distribution
97 Bottom 49% higher than 49% of 51 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. 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
Maine RPP history, 2008–2024
The statewide index has changed by only 1.4 points from 2008 to 2024. The line shows every retained BEA release against the national benchmark of 100; the table preserves the component detail.
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 98.4 |
| 2009 | 98.7 |
| 2010 | 97.5 |
| 2011 | 96.1 |
| 2012 | 97.0 |
| 2013 | 98.3 |
| 2014 | 92.5 |
| 2015 | 95.9 |
| 2016 | 97.2 |
| 2017 | 97.6 |
| 2018 | 97.6 |
| 2019 | 95.6 |
| 2020 | 97.9 |
| 2021 | 97.3 |
| 2022 | 100.7 |
| 2023 | 98.0 |
| 2024 | 97.0 |
Reading the Maine Cost of Living Picture
Maine clusters near the national line with Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia as its closest statewide peers. In that near-par lane, the component mix matters more than the small headline distance from 100. Services and Rents are 56.2 points apart, so the statewide average joins two materially different household experiences.
Maine captures 3 metro areas in the BEA dataset, and the range across them is meaningful. Portland-South Portland, ME leads on cost at 101.9, while Lewiston-Auburn, ME sits at the opposite end at 94.7 - a gap of 7.1 index points inside a single state. For goods the state indexes at 97.2, for services 135.2, and for rents 78.9. Rents run 18.1 points below the statewide index here, so housing is what pulls the whole figure down — a household that already owns outright captures much less of that discount than a renter does.
Over time, Maine's statewide index has held steady within 1.4 points, suggesting a stable competitive position against other states. Practically, this means a $100,000 national salary delivers the purchasing power of about $103,040 of national buying power when earned inside Maine, and a household relocating here would need roughly $97,050 to reproduce a $100K lifestyle. With 3 reporting metros inside the state, treat this figure as the midpoint of a range rather than a quote for any one address.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Maine's overall RPP fell -0.9 points, from 98.0 in 2023 to 97.0 in 2024. The largest category move was services, changing from 148.2 to 135.2. RPP is a relative price index, so this reports a change against the national benchmark rather than a household's dollar bill.
Metro areas in Maine, ranked by cost
| # | Metro area | Overall | Goods | Services | Rents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland-South Portland | 101.9 | 97.2 | 134.6 | 105.2 |
| 2 | Bangor | 96.5 | 97.2 | 134.8 | 77.7 |
| 3 | Lewiston-Auburn | 94.7 | 97.2 | 134.4 | 69.0 |
The Rents RPP index measures housing costs relative to the national average (100). For the federal 40th-percentile Fair Market Rent by bedroom size and county, see the HUD Fair Market Rents dataset.
What this means in Maine
The statewide index is a starting point, cost varies metro to metro within Maine.
- Don't rely on the state figure alone: Portland-South Portland (101.9) and Lewiston-Auburn (94.7) sit 7 index points apart inside Maine. Check your specific metro.
- Rents index at 78.9 (21.1% below average) - the largest swing in the RPP. Review the housing line before any relocation decision. Highest rents
- Weighing Maine against another state? Convert your salary to local purchasing power first. Salary calculator
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark (national average = 100) for the data year shown, pair it with local wages and current rents before deciding.
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Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive rankings, cost of living vs wages, and how BEA constructs RPP data.
States with Similar Cost of Living
These states have RPP indices closest to Maine, making them useful peers for relocation or budget comparison.
Nationwide states with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Maine: nearest states by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are labelled nationwide neighborhoods, distinct from the closest-RPP list above.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest states by overall regional price parity (97.0 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest states by rents regional price parity (78.9 here).
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Maine sit versus the national cost-of-living line?
Maine has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 97.0, meaning it is 3.0% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 97.2, services at 135.2, and rents at 78.9.
What salary in Maine equals $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $97,050 in Maine. Conversely, $100K earned in Maine has the purchasing power of $103,040 at the national average.
How much of Maine's affordability is rents?
Rents in Maine are indexed at 78.9, which is 21.1% below the national average. The state is relatively affordable for renters.
Which is the most expensive metro in Maine?
The most expensive metro area in Maine is Portland-South Portland, ME with an RPP of 101.9. The most affordable is Lewiston-Auburn, ME at 94.7. There are 3 metro areas in Maine with BEA price data.
Is Maine getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Maine's overall cost index changed by -1.4 points (from 98.4 to 97.0). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
Which categories pull Maine away from the national average?
The most expensive category in Maine is services at 135.2, which is 35.2% above the national average. The most affordable category is rents at 78.9, 21.1% below average.
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 2024. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.