Living in Maine · 2026
Is $155,000 enough to live in Maine?
Single adult · ME · 2026 tax brackets · Real cost-of-living data
Monthly take-home
$8,870
Avg monthly expenses
$2,227
Avg monthly surplus
$6,643
Savings potential
~75%
After-tax take-home in Maine
How $155,000 feels in Maine cities
Rent: HUD FMR 2026 · Food: USDA Low-Cost Plan × COL · Transport/Utilities/Healthcare: BLS CES × COL
Portland
COL index: 1.21× national avg
Lewiston
COL index: 0.91× national avg
Bangor
COL index: 0.93× national avg
South Portland
COL index: 1.10× national avg
Auburn
COL index: 0.88× national avg
Biddeford
COL index: 1.03× national avg
50 / 30 / 20 Budget Planner
Based on your monthly take-home of $8,870 ($106,440/yr)
$4,435
per month
- ›Rent / mortgage
- ›Groceries
- ›Utilities
- ›Insurance
- ›Minimum debt payments
- ›Transportation
$2,661
per month
- ›Dining out
- ›Streaming services
- ›Gym
- ›Hobbies
- ›Travel
- ›Shopping
$1,774
per month
- ›Emergency fund
- ›401(k) / IRA
- ›Investments
- ›Down payment fund
- ›Debt payoff (extra)
Needs / year
$53,220
Wants / year
$31,932
Savings / year
$21,288
Salary Intelligence
Excellent salary in PortlandAt $155,000, housing costs only 17% of take-home income — well below the 25% threshold. This leaves strong room for savings, discretionary spending, and wealth building.
Lifestyle Assessment
A $155,000 salary comfortably supports a very good single lifestyle in Portland, Maine, with approximately $6,191/month (~70% of take-home) available for savings — meeting or exceeding the recommended 20% savings rate.
Purchasing Power
Portland's above-average cost of living (index: 1.21) means $155,000 provides the purchasing power of roughly $128,099 in an average-cost US city, or $151,157 in Austin. Moving to a lower-cost state could effectively increase your take-home by thousands.
State & National Benchmark
$155,000 is 273% above the Maine individual median of $41,600 and 177% above the US national individual median of $56,000. This is a top-quartile income in this state.
State individual median
$41,600
+273%
State household median
$71,670
+116%
Tax reduction strategies
$155,000 vs. Maine income benchmarks
Individual median (Maine)
$41,600
+273% vs. this salary
Household median (Maine)
$71,670
+116% vs. this salary
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 2023
Related salary insights
Explore other salary levels in Maine
Data Sources
- •Tax calculations: IRS federal tax tables
- •Rent data: HUD Fair Market Rents
- •Cost-of-living index: C2ER / ACCRA Cost of Living Index
Data updated monthly using government datasets.