Moving to Maine from Kentucky
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Kentucky to Maine — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Kentucky to Maine, you would find that Maine is 20.5% more expensive than Kentucky. A $75,000 salary in Kentucky would need to be roughly $90,400 in Maine to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Portland averages 56°F vs 68°F in Louisville, making it significantly cooler. Louisville and Portland are about 890 mi apart.
Is Maine cheaper than Kentucky?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 28.2% more
Groceries
pay 21.4% more
Transportation
pay 1.7% more
Housing
pay 27.5% more
Childcare
pay 33.6% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.6% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Maine?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $90,400
To maintain the same standard of living in Maine
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Kentucky to Maine.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Maine performs significantly better than Kentucky across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Maine generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kentucky leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Kentucky generally does better on what about housing?, though Maine leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Kentucky generally does better on infrastructure, though Maine leads in internet access.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Maine performs significantly better than Kentucky across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Maine performs significantly better than Kentucky across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Maine vs Kentucky
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Louisville | Portland |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 50°/32°F (10°/0°C) | 36°/18°F (2°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 77°/57°F (25°/14°C) | 63°/44°F (17°/7°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/66°F (30°/19°C) | 76°/56°F (24°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 58°/40°F (14°/4°C) | 48°/30°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Louisville | Portland |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43°/27°F (6.1°/-2.9°C) | 31°/13°F (-0.4°/-10.3°C) |
| Feb | 48°/30°F (8.8°/-1.2°C) | 35°/16°F (1.4°/-8.7°C) |
| Mar | 58°/38°F (14.4°/3.2°C) | 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.9°C) |
| Apr | 69°/47°F (20.4°/8.5°C) | 53°/35°F (11.8°/1.5°C) |
| May | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.9°C) | 64°/44°F (17.5°/6.8°C) |
| Jun | 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C) | 73°/54°F (22.9°/12.0°C) |
| Jul | 89°/70°F (31.5°/21.1°C) | 79°/59°F (26.0°/15.2°C) |
| Aug | 88°/69°F (31.3°/20.3°C) | 78°/58°F (25.4°/14.6°C) |
| Sep | 82°/60°F (27.5°/15.8°C) | 70°/50°F (21.1°/10.2°C) |
| Oct | 70°/49°F (21.2°/9.4°C) | 59°/39°F (14.8°/3.8°C) |
| Nov | 58°/40°F (14.4°/4.2°C) | 48°/31°F (8.9°/-0.6°C) |
| Dec | 46°/30°F (7.7°/-1.1°C) | 37°/20°F (2.9°/-6.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Maine than Kentucky?
No — Maine is on average about 21% more expensive than Kentucky. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Maine?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $22,600 in Maine on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Maine safe?
Maine performs significantly better than Kentucky across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Maine compared to Kentucky?
Maine generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kentucky leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Maine compared to Kentucky?
The average high temperature in Portland is 56°F, compared to 68°F in Louisville. Portland receives around 47.2 in of rainfall per year, while Louisville gets 44.9 in.
