Moving to Maine from Massachusetts
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Massachusetts to Maine — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Massachusetts to Maine, you would find that Maine is 13.0% cheaper than Massachusetts. A $75,000 salary in Massachusetts would need to be roughly $65,200 in Maine to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Augusta averages 77°F vs 59°F in Boston, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Massachusetts to Maine.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $65,200
To maintain the same standard of living in Maine
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 4.1% less
Groceries
pay 1.5% more
Transportation
pay 16.3% less
Housing
pay 27.8% less
Childcare
pay 0.3% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 10.3% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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 Maine cost about 19% less than cities in Massachusetts.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Massachusetts and Maine stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Massachusetts generally does better on safety, though Maine leads in violent crime rate.
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
Massachusetts generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maine leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Maine performs significantly better than Massachusetts across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Massachusetts generally does better on infrastructure, though Maine leads in average commute.
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
Massachusetts 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
Massachusetts performs better than Maine 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
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Boston | Augusta |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 40°/26°F (4°/-3°C) | 63°/37°F (17°/3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 66°/50°F (19°/10°C) | 84°/57°F (29°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/62°F (25°/17°C) | 91°/67°F (33°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/38°F (11°/3°C) | 69°/42°F (21°/6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Boston | Augusta |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.4°C) | 58°/33°F (14.4°/0.4°C) |
| Feb | 39°/25°F (3.7°/-4.1°C) | 62°/36°F (16.8°/2.2°C) |
| Mar | 45°/31°F (7.4°/-0.5°C) | 70°/42°F (21.1°/5.6°C) |
| Apr | 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C) | 77°/48°F (25.2°/8.9°C) |
| May | 66°/50°F (18.9°/9.9°C) | 85°/57°F (29.4°/14.1°C) |
| Jun | 76°/60°F (24.4°/15.3°C) | 91°/66°F (32.8°/19.0°C) |
| Jul | 81°/65°F (27.4°/18.6°C) | 93°/70°F (34.1°/21.0°C) |
| Aug | 80°/65°F (26.4°/18.1°C) | 92°/69°F (33.2°/20.7°C) |
| Sep | 72°/57°F (22.4°/14.1°C) | 87°/63°F (30.4°/17.0°C) |
| Oct | 61°/47°F (16.3°/8.1°C) | 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.6°C) |
| Nov | 51°/38°F (10.8°/3.3°C) | 69°/41°F (20.6°/5.2°C) |
| Dec | 41°/28°F (5.1°/-2.1°C) | 60°/35°F (15.6°/1.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Maine than Massachusetts?
Generally yes: Maine runs about 13% cheaper than Massachusetts on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Maine?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $16,300 in Maine for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Maine safe?
Massachusetts generally does better on safety, though Maine leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Maine compared to Massachusetts?
Massachusetts generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maine leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Maine compared to Massachusetts?
The average high temperature in Augusta is 77°F, compared to 59°F in Boston. Augusta receives around 43.6 in of rainfall per year, while Boston gets 43.8 in.
