Moving to Maine from Missouri
What to Expect
Considering a move from Missouri to Maine? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Missouri to Maine, you would find that Maine is 13.4% more expensive than Missouri. A $75,000 salary in Missouri would need to be roughly $85,100 in Maine to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Portland averages 56°F vs 66°F in Kansas City, making it significantly cooler. Kansas City and Portland are about 1,300 mi apart.
Is Maine cheaper than Missouri?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 6.6% more
Groceries
pay 16.1% more
Transportation
pay 20.8% less
Housing
pay 23.8% more
Childcare
pay 79.2% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.6% 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 → $85,100
To maintain the same standard of living in Maine
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Maine compared to Missouri.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Maine performs significantly better than Missouri 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 performs significantly better than Missouri across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Missouri 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
Missouri 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 generally does better on employment & economy, though Missouri leads in gdp per capita.
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 Missouri 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 Missouri
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Kansas City | Portland |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) | 36°/18°F (2°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 76°/57°F (24°/14°C) | 63°/44°F (17°/7°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/67°F (30°/20°C) | 76°/56°F (24°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) | 48°/30°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Kansas City | Portland |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°/22°F (4.2°/-5.3°C) | 31°/13°F (-0.4°/-10.3°C) |
| Feb | 45°/26°F (7.0°/-3.2°C) | 35°/16°F (1.4°/-8.7°C) |
| Mar | 56°/36°F (13.4°/2.1°C) | 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.9°C) |
| Apr | 67°/47°F (19.3°/8.1°C) | 53°/35°F (11.8°/1.5°C) |
| May | 76°/57°F (24.4°/13.9°C) | 64°/44°F (17.5°/6.8°C) |
| Jun | 85°/67°F (29.4°/19.3°C) | 73°/54°F (22.9°/12.0°C) |
| Jul | 90°/72°F (32.3°/22.2°C) | 79°/59°F (26.0°/15.2°C) |
| Aug | 89°/70°F (31.4°/21.2°C) | 78°/58°F (25.4°/14.6°C) |
| Sep | 80°/60°F (26.7°/15.8°C) | 70°/50°F (21.1°/10.2°C) |
| Oct | 68°/49°F (19.9°/9.4°C) | 59°/39°F (14.8°/3.8°C) |
| Nov | 54°/37°F (12.3°/2.6°C) | 48°/31°F (8.9°/-0.6°C) |
| Dec | 42°/26°F (5.4°/-3.6°C) | 37°/20°F (2.9°/-6.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Maine than Missouri?
On average Maine is around 13% pricier than Missouri, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Maine?
Budget about $21,275 for 3 months in Maine (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Maine safe?
Maine performs significantly better than Missouri across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Maine compared to Missouri?
Maine performs significantly better than Missouri across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Maine compared to Missouri?
The average high temperature in Portland is 56°F, compared to 66°F in Kansas City. Portland receives around 47.2 in of rainfall per year, while Kansas City gets 39.1 in.
