Moving to Maine from Oregon
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Oregon to Maine — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Oregon to Maine, you would find that Maine is 5.0% more expensive than Oregon. A $75,000 salary in Oregon would need to be roughly $78,800 in Maine to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Augusta averages 77°F vs 64°F in Salem, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Oregon to Maine.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $78,800
To maintain the same standard of living in Maine
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 8.0% more
Groceries
pay 16.5% more
Transportation
pay 15.8% less
Housing
pay 1.4% less
Childcare
pay 80.2% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.3% 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 1% less than cities in Oregon.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Oregon to Maine.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Maine performs significantly better than Oregon 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
Oregon 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 Oregon across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Oregon performs better than Maine 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
Oregon 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
Oregon 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 | Salem | Augusta |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 52°/36°F (11°/2°C) | 63°/37°F (17°/3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/45°F (20°/7°C) | 84°/57°F (29°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 80°/51°F (27°/11°C) | 91°/67°F (33°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/38°F (12°/3°C) | 69°/42°F (21°/6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Salem | Augusta |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48°/35°F (8.7°/1.5°C) | 58°/33°F (14.4°/0.4°C) |
| Feb | 52°/35°F (10.9°/1.4°C) | 62°/36°F (16.8°/2.2°C) |
| Mar | 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.9°C) | 70°/42°F (21.1°/5.6°C) |
| Apr | 61°/40°F (16.2°/4.2°C) | 77°/48°F (25.2°/8.9°C) |
| May | 68°/45°F (19.9°/7.1°C) | 85°/57°F (29.4°/14.1°C) |
| Jun | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.6°C) | 91°/66°F (32.8°/19.0°C) |
| Jul | 82°/53°F (27.8°/11.7°C) | 93°/70°F (34.1°/21.0°C) |
| Aug | 82°/53°F (28.0°/11.6°C) | 92°/69°F (33.2°/20.7°C) |
| Sep | 77°/48°F (24.9°/9.1°C) | 87°/63°F (30.4°/17.0°C) |
| Oct | 64°/42°F (17.8°/5.7°C) | 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.6°C) |
| Nov | 53°/38°F (11.4°/3.6°C) | 69°/41°F (20.6°/5.2°C) |
| Dec | 46°/34°F (7.9°/1.1°C) | 60°/35°F (15.6°/1.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Maine than Oregon?
No — Maine is on average about 5% more expensive than Oregon. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Maine?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $19,700 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 Oregon across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Maine compared to Oregon?
Oregon generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maine leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Maine compared to Oregon?
The average high temperature in Augusta is 77°F, compared to 64°F in Salem. Augusta receives around 43.6 in of rainfall per year, while Salem gets 39.7 in.
