Moving to Maine from North Carolina
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from North Carolina to Maine — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from North Carolina to Maine, you would find that Maine is 9.5% more expensive than North Carolina. A $75,000 salary in North Carolina would need to be roughly $75,750 in Maine to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Augusta averages 77°F vs 67°F in Asheville, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from North Carolina to Maine.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $75,750
To maintain the same standard of living in Maine
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 19.3% more
Groceries
pay 5.6% less
Transportation
pay 7.9% less
Housing
pay 3.5% more
Childcare
pay 35.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 10.6% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How North Carolina 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
Maine performs significantly better than North Carolina 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 North Carolina leads in adult smoking 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 North Carolina leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Maine performs significantly better than North Carolina across all infrastructure metrics.
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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Asheville | Augusta |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 52°/32°F (11°/0°C) | 63°/37°F (17°/3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) | 84°/57°F (29°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 91°/67°F (33°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 58°/38°F (15°/3°C) | 69°/42°F (21°/6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Asheville | Augusta |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.1°/-2.4°C) | 58°/33°F (14.4°/0.4°C) |
| Feb | 50°/31°F (10.2°/-0.6°C) | 62°/36°F (16.8°/2.2°C) |
| Mar | 58°/37°F (14.4°/2.9°C) | 70°/42°F (21.1°/5.6°C) |
| Apr | 67°/45°F (19.7°/7.3°C) | 77°/48°F (25.2°/8.9°C) |
| May | 75°/53°F (23.9°/11.7°C) | 85°/57°F (29.4°/14.1°C) |
| Jun | 82°/61°F (27.6°/16.1°C) | 91°/66°F (32.8°/19.0°C) |
| Jul | 85°/65°F (29.3°/18.1°C) | 93°/70°F (34.1°/21.0°C) |
| Aug | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.7°C) | 92°/69°F (33.2°/20.7°C) |
| Sep | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.8°C) | 87°/63°F (30.4°/17.0°C) |
| Oct | 68°/46°F (19.9°/7.9°C) | 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.6°C) |
| Nov | 58°/38°F (14.7°/3.1°C) | 69°/41°F (20.6°/5.2°C) |
| Dec | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-0.9°C) | 60°/35°F (15.6°/1.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Maine than North Carolina?
Headline costs are within a few percent between Maine and North Carolina; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
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 $18,938 in Maine for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Maine safe?
Maine performs significantly better than North Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Maine compared to North Carolina?
Maine generally does better on health & wellbeing, though North Carolina leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Maine compared to North Carolina?
The average high temperature in Augusta is 77°F, compared to 67°F in Asheville. Augusta receives around 43.6 in of rainfall per year, while Asheville gets 37.0 in.
