Moving to Maine from South Carolina
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from South Carolina to Maine — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from South Carolina to Maine, you would find that Maine is 4.4% more expensive than South Carolina. A $75,000 salary in South Carolina would need to be roughly $78,300 in Maine to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Portland averages 56°F vs 73°F in Charleston, making it significantly cooler. Charleston and Portland are about 920 mi apart.
Is Maine cheaper than South Carolina?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 5.3% more
Groceries
pay 0.2% more
Transportation
pay 5.5% less
Housing
pay 0.8% more
Childcare
pay 56.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 7.8% 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 → $78,300
To maintain the same standard of living in Maine
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from South Carolina to Maine.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Maine performs significantly better than South 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 performs significantly better than South Carolina across all health & wellbeing metrics.
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 South 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 South 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 performs significantly better than South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Charleston | Portland |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) | 36°/18°F (2°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) | 63°/44°F (17°/7°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) | 76°/56°F (24°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) | 48°/30°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Charleston | Portland |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) | 31°/13°F (-0.4°/-10.3°C) |
| Feb | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) | 35°/16°F (1.4°/-8.7°C) |
| Mar | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) | 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.9°C) |
| Apr | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) | 53°/35°F (11.8°/1.5°C) |
| May | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) | 64°/44°F (17.5°/6.8°C) |
| Jun | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) | 73°/54°F (22.9°/12.0°C) |
| Jul | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) | 79°/59°F (26.0°/15.2°C) |
| Aug | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) | 78°/58°F (25.4°/14.6°C) |
| Sep | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) | 70°/50°F (21.1°/10.2°C) |
| Oct | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) | 59°/39°F (14.8°/3.8°C) |
| Nov | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) | 48°/31°F (8.9°/-0.6°C) |
| Dec | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) | 37°/20°F (2.9°/-6.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Maine than South Carolina?
No — Maine is on average about 4% more expensive than South Carolina. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Maine?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $19,575 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 South Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Maine compared to South Carolina?
Maine performs significantly better than South Carolina across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Maine compared to South Carolina?
The average high temperature in Portland is 56°F, compared to 73°F in Charleston. Portland receives around 47.2 in of rainfall per year, while Charleston gets 44.4 in.
