Moving to Maine from Montana
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Montana to Maine — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Montana to Maine, you would find that Maine is 4.7% more expensive than Montana. A $75,000 salary in Montana would need to be roughly $78,500 in Maine to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Augusta averages 77°F vs 58°F in Helena, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Montana to Maine.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $78,500
To maintain the same standard of living in Maine
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 1.9% less
Groceries
pay 20.7% more
Transportation
pay 2.9% less
Housing
pay 1.3% less
Childcare
pay 51.2% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.3% 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 4% less than cities in Montana.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Montana to Maine.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Maine performs significantly better than Montana 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
Montana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maine leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Maine generally does better on what about housing?, though Montana leads in median rent.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Montana 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 Montana 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 Montana 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 | Helena | Augusta |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 40°/18°F (4°/-8°C) | 63°/37°F (17°/3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 67°/41°F (19°/5°C) | 84°/57°F (29°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/50°F (27°/10°C) | 91°/67°F (33°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 45°/22°F (7°/-6°C) | 69°/42°F (21°/6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Helena | Augusta |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33°/13°F (0.7°/-10.6°C) | 58°/33°F (14.4°/0.4°C) |
| Feb | 39°/17°F (3.7°/-8.4°C) | 62°/36°F (16.8°/2.2°C) |
| Mar | 48°/24°F (9.0°/-4.3°C) | 70°/42°F (21.1°/5.6°C) |
| Apr | 58°/32°F (14.3°/0.1°C) | 77°/48°F (25.2°/8.9°C) |
| May | 67°/41°F (19.5°/4.9°C) | 85°/57°F (29.4°/14.1°C) |
| Jun | 76°/49°F (24.3°/9.2°C) | 91°/66°F (32.8°/19.0°C) |
| Jul | 86°/54°F (29.8°/12.4°C) | 93°/70°F (34.1°/21.0°C) |
| Aug | 85°/52°F (29.2°/11.2°C) | 92°/69°F (33.2°/20.7°C) |
| Sep | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.2°C) | 87°/63°F (30.4°/17.0°C) |
| Oct | 59°/33°F (14.8°/0.3°C) | 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.6°C) |
| Nov | 43°/22°F (6.2°/-5.6°C) | 69°/41°F (20.6°/5.2°C) |
| Dec | 32°/12°F (-0.2°/-11.2°C) | 60°/35°F (15.6°/1.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Maine than Montana?
No — Maine is on average about 5% more expensive than Montana. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Maine?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $19,625 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 Montana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Maine compared to Montana?
Montana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maine leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Maine compared to Montana?
The average high temperature in Augusta is 77°F, compared to 58°F in Helena. Augusta receives around 43.6 in of rainfall per year, while Helena gets 11.2 in.
