Moving to Maryland from Maine
What to Expect
Considering a move from Maine to Maryland? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Maine to Maryland, you would find that Maryland is 5.4% more expensive than Maine. A $75,000 salary in Maine would need to be roughly $79,000 in Maryland to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Baltimore averages 70°F vs 56°F in Portland, making it significantly warmer. Portland and Baltimore are about 450 mi apart.
Is Maryland cheaper than Maine?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 5.7% less
Groceries
pay 8.1% less
Transportation
pay 19.5% more
Housing
pay 13.3% more
Childcare
pay 2.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.7% 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 Maryland?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $79,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Maryland
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Maryland cost about 7% more than cities in Maine.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Maryland compared to Maine.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Maine performs better than Maryland 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 Maryland leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Maine performs better than Maryland across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Maine generally does better on infrastructure, though Maryland 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
Maryland generally does better on employment & economy, though Maine leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Maine generally does better on family life, though Maryland leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
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 Maryland vs Maine
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Portland | Baltimore |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 36°/18°F (2°/-8°C) | 51°/35°F (11°/2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 63°/44°F (17°/7°C) | 79°/61°F (26°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 76°/56°F (24°/13°C) | 88°/71°F (31°/22°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/30°F (9°/-1°C) | 60°/44°F (16°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Portland | Baltimore |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/13°F (-0.4°/-10.3°C) | 46°/32°F (8.0°/-0.1°C) |
| Feb | 35°/16°F (1.4°/-8.7°C) | 49°/34°F (9.5°/1.2°C) |
| Mar | 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.9°C) | 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.5°C) |
| Apr | 53°/35°F (11.8°/1.5°C) | 69°/51°F (20.8°/10.4°C) |
| May | 64°/44°F (17.5°/6.8°C) | 79°/61°F (26.3°/16.1°C) |
| Jun | 73°/54°F (22.9°/12.0°C) | 89°/71°F (31.6°/21.5°C) |
| Jul | 79°/59°F (26.0°/15.2°C) | 92°/75°F (33.4°/23.9°C) |
| Aug | 78°/58°F (25.4°/14.6°C) | 90°/73°F (32.2°/22.8°C) |
| Sep | 70°/50°F (21.1°/10.2°C) | 83°/65°F (28.1°/18.5°C) |
| Oct | 59°/39°F (14.8°/3.8°C) | 71°/54°F (21.9°/12.3°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.9°/-0.6°C) | 60°/44°F (15.8°/6.4°C) |
| Dec | 37°/20°F (2.9°/-6.4°C) | 50°/35°F (9.8°/1.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Maryland than Maine?
On average Maryland is around 5% pricier than Maine, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Maryland?
Budget about $19,750 for 3 months in Maryland (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Maryland safe?
Maine performs better than Maryland across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Maryland compared to Maine?
Maine generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maryland leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Maryland compared to Maine?
The average high temperature in Baltimore is 70°F, compared to 56°F in Portland. Baltimore receives around 42.4 in of rainfall per year, while Portland gets 47.2 in.
