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Living in Maine ยท 2026

Is $58,000 enough to live in Maine?

Single adult ยท ME ยท 2026 tax brackets ยท Real cost-of-living data

Statewide verdict:Very comfortable

Monthly take-home

$3,753

Avg monthly expenses

$2,227

Avg monthly surplus

$1,526

Savings potential

~41%

After-tax take-home in Maine

Gross salary$58,000
Federal income taxโˆ’ $4,854
State income taxโˆ’ $3,668
Social Securityโˆ’ $3,596
Medicareโˆ’ $841
Annual take-home$45,041
Effective tax rate22.34%

How $58,000 feels in Maine cities

Rent: HUD FMR 2026 ยท Food: USDA Low-Cost Plan ร— COL ยท Transport/Utilities/Healthcare: BLS CES ร— COL

Portland

COL index: 1.21ร— national avg

Comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,550
Food
$475
Transport
$212
Utilities
$200
Healthcare
$242
Total: $2,679/mo
Surplus: $1,074/mo
Rent burden: 41.3% โ€” High (35โ€“50%)
Full Portland analysis โ†’

Lewiston

COL index: 0.91ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,050
Food
$418
Transport
$159
Utilities
$150
Healthcare
$182
Total: $1,959/mo
Surplus: $1,794/mo
Rent burden: 28.0% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
Full Lewiston analysis โ†’

Bangor

COL index: 0.93ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,100
Food
$427
Transport
$163
Utilities
$153
Healthcare
$186
Total: $2,029/mo
Surplus: $1,724/mo
Rent burden: 29.3% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
Full Bangor analysis โ†’

South Portland

COL index: 1.10ร— national avg

Comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,450
Food
$462
Transport
$193
Utilities
$182
Healthcare
$220
Total: $2,507/mo
Surplus: $1,246/mo
Rent burden: 38.6% โ€” High (35โ€“50%)
Full South Portland analysis โ†’

Auburn

COL index: 0.88ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,000
Food
$409
Transport
$154
Utilities
$145
Healthcare
$176
Total: $1,884/mo
Surplus: $1,869/mo
Rent burden: 26.6% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
Full Auburn analysis โ†’

Biddeford

COL index: 1.03ร— national avg

Comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,300
Food
$449
Transport
$180
Utilities
$170
Healthcare
$206
Total: $2,305/mo
Surplus: $1,448/mo
Rent burden: 34.6% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
Full Biddeford analysis โ†’

50 / 30 / 20 Budget Planner

Based on your monthly take-home of $3,753 ($45,036/yr)

Needs 50%Wants 30%Savings 20%
Needs50%

$1,877

per month

  • โ€บRent / mortgage
  • โ€บGroceries
  • โ€บUtilities
  • โ€บInsurance
  • โ€บMinimum debt payments
  • โ€บTransportation
Wants30%

$1,126

per month

  • โ€บDining out
  • โ€บStreaming services
  • โ€บGym
  • โ€บHobbies
  • โ€บTravel
  • โ€บShopping
Savings20%

$751

per month

  • โ€บEmergency fund
  • โ€บ401(k) / IRA
  • โ€บInvestments
  • โ€บDown payment fund
  • โ€บDebt payoff (extra)

Needs / year

$22,518

Wants / year

$13,511

Savings / year

$9,007

Salary Intelligence

Below comfortable level in Portland

Rent would consume 41% of take-home income โ€” above the 35% stress threshold. A higher salary or lower-cost housing is needed for financial stability in this city.

Lifestyle score: 5.7/10 (Good)

Lifestyle Assessment

A $58,000 salary comfortably supports a good single lifestyle in Portland, Maine, with approximately $1,074/month (~29% of take-home) available for savings โ€” meeting or exceeding the recommended 20% savings rate.

Purchasing Power

Portland's above-average cost of living (index: 1.21) means $58,000 provides the purchasing power of roughly $47,934 in an average-cost US city, or $56,562 in Austin. Moving to a lower-cost state could effectively increase your take-home by thousands.

State & National Benchmark

$58,000 is 39% above the Maine individual median ($41,600) and 4% above the US national median of $56,000.

State individual median

$41,600

+39%

State household median

$71,670

-19%

Tax reduction strategies

Maximize 401(k) Contributions โ€” Up to $5,170 in federal tax (22% bracket)
401(k) Age 50+ Catch-Up Contribution โ€” Up to $2,775 additional tax savings (37% bracket)

$58,000 vs. Maine income benchmarks

Individual median (Maine)

$41,600

+39% vs. this salary

Household median (Maine)

$71,670

-19% vs. this salary

Source: US Census Bureau ACS 2023

Related salary insights

Explore other salary levels in Maine

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Reviewed by

Finance Editor

CPA, 10+ years in personal finance

Data Sources

Data updated monthly using government datasets.