Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Maine
You think about moving to Maine but want to get additional information about public infrastructure, living costs, housing, safety, entertainment, nightlife and much more before making your final decision in this regard?
Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you the pros and cons of living in Maine in the following chapters.
Living in Maine – Overview
Climate | People in Maine experience moderately warm summers and really cold winters. |
Housing | Housing shortage is not a big deal in most parts of Maine and property prices and rents are rather low in the rural parts of Maine. |
Living Costs | Living costs in Maine are pretty high and you may have to spend more money on things of daily life compared to people moving to Arkansas or other cheaper regions. |
Income | Median household income in Maine is below national average and many people in this region struggle to make really good money from what they are doing for a living. |
Crime | Maine is a pretty safe state and crime rates in Maine are way below national average. |
Education | While you may find solid education in the biggest cities in Maine, you may have a hard time finding good schools and colleges in the rural parts of Maine. |
Job Market | Unemployment rate in Maine is slightly above national average and especially low-qualified people often struggle to find decent jobs in this region. |
Culture | While you may find some cultural diversity in the big cities of Maine, Maine might just not be the most culturally interesting place in the US. |
Leisure Activities | Maine is well-known for its beautiful nature and people can therefore spend lots of time fishing, hunting, foraging for food and do many other great things outdoors. |
Landscape | Maine has many nice lakes, rivers and forests and also has a broad coastline where people can go swimming, surfing or just relax at the beach. |
Infrastructure | Public transport is not great in most parts of Maine and also medical infrastructure is rather poor outside the big cities. |
Level of Tolerance | While Maine is a pretty tolerant state, some people in the rural parts of Maine may still be pretty conservative and traditional and may not appreciate alternative ways of life as much as people living in San Francisco and other more liberal regions. |
Nightlife | Nightlife in most parts of Maine is not really great since the number of exciting bars and clubs will be rather limited. |
Total Population | 1.34 million inhabitants. |

Advantages of Living in Maine
- Rents are still pretty affordable in most parts of Maine
- Property prices in most regions of Maine are still reasonably low
- Housing shortage is not a big problem in Maine yet
- The average person can still afford to buy a decent home in Maine outside the big cities
- People in Maine don’t have to spend a big fraction of their income on housing
- It’s not all about money in Maine
- People in Maine can spend lots of time in beautiful nature
- Maine is located at the coast
- You can spend lots of time outdoors
- People in Maine can exercise in a pretty natural manner
- You will never run out of ideas regarding what to do in nature
- You can make many nice day trips from Maine
- Pretty decent air quality in many parts of Maine
- Many free things to do in Maine
- Maine may be an interesting place to retire
- People in Maine can enjoy warm and sunny summers
- Cold winters enable you to do winter sports in Maine
- You can enjoy real seasons in Maine
- Maine is a rather relaxed place
- You will meet many tolerant people in Maine
- Many people in Maine are friendly and helpful
- Easy to get in touch with people in the urban regions in Maine
- People in Maine can live a pretty original lifestyle
- You may be able to become independent from society
- Maine is a pretty pet-friendly region
- Maine is a rather bicycle-friendly place
- You can meet many honest and real people in Maine
- You may be able to really rely on the support of your loved ones
- Maine is not the most hectic state
- Many recreational spaces in Maine
- Traffic is not a big problem in most parts of Maine
- Finding a parking lot is pretty easy
- You may find lots of cultural diversity in the big cities of Maine
- You can talk to many interesting people
- Decent internet connection for most people in Maine
- Maine is a pretty safe state
- You may be able to see your kids grow up in a peaceful atmosphere
- Social problems in Maine are not as severe as in many other states yet
- Maine becomes increasingly popular all over the US
- Maine may still be an underrated state
Rents are still pretty affordable in most parts of Maine
One advantage of living in Maine is that rents are still rather low in most parts of Maine outside the big cities and as long as you don’t want to move to the rural parts of Maine, you will find many decent places to stay at a rather affordable price level.
Property prices in most regions of Maine are still reasonably low
Also in case you don’t want to rent for the rest of your life, moving to Maine may still make sense for potential homebuyers since you will still find many homes at a rather affordable price near the big cities of Maine and may therefore not have to spend as much money on housing as people living in California or other more expensive regions on average.
Housing shortage is not a big problem in Maine yet
You should also know that housing shortage is not a big deal in most parts of Maine yet and this means that you will find enough housing options, no matter whether you are single or search for a home for a big family and you may also not have to spend as much time searching for a home as people moving to NYC or other extremely popular places.
The average person can still afford to buy a decent home in Maine outside the big cities
Another upside to living in Main is that many people are still able to afford to buy decent homes without having to financially stress themselves as much as people moving to Seattle or other regions where property prices are much higher on average.
People in Maine don’t have to spend a big fraction of their income on housing
Since property prices and rents are still reasonably low in most parts of Maine, many people also don’t have to spend a significant fraction of their income on housing yet and may have more money left to spend on other nice and important things.
It’s not all about money in Maine
In general, while money is important, it just doesn’t play the same role in Maine as in other fancier regions where you are often nothing if you are not wealthy or rich and people in Maine may care more about inner values and your character instead of what you own or your balance.
People in Maine can spend lots of time in beautiful nature
Another benefit of living in Maine is that you can also enjoy many nice lakes, forests and other beautiful places in nature where you can relax and reload your batteries while you can still have a great time with your loved ones.
Maine is located at the coast
You should also know that Maine has a broad coastline and this enables you to go swimming, surfing or doing other water sports while you could also just relax at the beach while many other people living in Chicago or other regions far away from the coast just don’t have this luxury.
You can spend lots of time outdoors
Since there are so many things to do in nature, you will also have a high incentive of spending lots of time outdoors and this can be great since you can stay in shape and can also get into a pretty good mood in general.
People in Maine can exercise in a pretty natural manner
Thanks to the many nature activities you can do in Maine, you can also exercise in a rather natural manner and burn lots of calories so you can stay fit in the long run while people in other regions with less exciting nature may rather have to go to the gym after work.
You will never run out of ideas regarding what to do in nature
In general, since you can go fishing, hunting, foraging for food, rock climbing, swimming and much more, there are just so many things to do in nature that you will never run out of ideas in this regard and if you love nature, you can just have a great time in the Maine region.
You can make many nice day trips from Maine
Since there are so many nice things to do, you can also make many nice day trips to nature reserves, national parks or other cities so you will see many different things and can make your life in Maine just much more interesting.
Pretty decent air quality in many parts of Maine
Another upside to moving to Maine is that you will also be able to enjoy pretty decent air quality and while you might not deem this to be important, you should still know that good air quality may reduce your risk of suffering from serious health conditions in the long run and you may therefore be able to stay healthy for longer compared to people living in more polluted regions.
Many free things to do in Maine
Since there are many free things to do in nature, you may also not need as much money as in other states since you can just spend your time hiking, foraging for food and so on so you will have something to do and still don’t have to spend lots of money on it.
Maine may be an interesting place to retire
Since there are many free things to do and you may not need a big budget to live a decent lifestyle if you are smart and also humble and you can enjoy many nice days in beautiful nature, Maine may also be the optimal place to retire since you may be able to spend the last chapter of your life in a pretty peaceful atmosphere.
People in Maine can enjoy warm and sunny summers
You can also enjoy warm and sunny summers in Maine which may help you get tanned and you may also feel like being on vacation for the whole summer since you can spend so many nice days at the beach.
Cold winters enable you to do winter sports in Maine
While summers in Maine are often moderately warm, winters are still pretty cold and this allows you to do winter sports of many sorts which can make your life in Maine much more interesting in the long run.
You can enjoy real seasons in Maine
Since you can relax at the beach in summer and go skiing or do other winter sports in winter, you can also enjoy real seasons in Maine and your life may just be more interesting compared to people moving to El Paso or other regions where it is pretty warm all year long and climatic diversity is just not great.
Maine is a rather relaxed place
You should also keep in mind that Maine is a rather relaxed region where you will be able to meet many laid-back people and can just have a great time together.
You will meet many tolerant people in Maine
Maine is also a pretty tolerant place and you therefore don’t have to worry about your background at all and no matter where you come from, you can just have a great time as long as you are tolerant yourself and also know how to treat people well.
Many people in Maine are friendly and helpful
Another benefit of moving to Maine is that you will also be able to meet many friendly and helpful people along the way and in case you need assistance in various parts of life, chances are you will always find someone helping you out.
Easy to get in touch with people in the urban regions in Maine
As long as you move to the urban parts of Maine, you will also find many locations and places where you can socialize with many other people and may be able to make many good friends within a rather short period of time.
People in Maine can live a pretty original lifestyle
Since Maine is surrounded by interesting nature, you will also be able to live a pretty original lifestyle since you can just get many things you need directly from nature without having to buy those things in the store, at least if you are knowledgeable about foraging for food and also willing to do some extra work.
You may be able to become independent from society
If you want to take it one step further, you may also be able to become independent from society rather quickly by becoming self-sufficient since you might be able to buy a large piece of land in the rural regions for a rather affordable price and can start growing plenty of veggies and fruits and may also want to keep farm animals to make your meal plan more balanced.
Maine is a pretty pet-friendly region
Another advantage of moving to Maine is that it is also a rather pet-friendly region where your dog and other animals will be welcome and you may also be able to meet other like-minded pet owners so you will be able to socialize in a pretty playful manner.
Maine is a rather bicycle-friendly place
You should also know that Maine is a rather bicycle-friendly region where you can get around by bike for short distances in a pretty efficient manner and may therefore be able to save lots of money on fuel and can also do good for our environment at the same time.
You can meet many honest and real people in Maine
Many people in Maine are also rather honest and genuine and while this might shock you at first, you may still learn to trust those people pretty quickly and may be able to build many stable friendships for a lifetime.
You may be able to really rely on the support of your loved ones
Since you can meet many great people in Maine, you can also make many strong social bonds and during difficult periods of your life, those people will often be there for you so you can overcome your problems and may become even stronger in the long run.
Maine is not the most hectic state
You should also know that Maine is just not the most hectic state and people are often less career-focused than in other regions and may have more time to talk to you instead of just rushing from one meeting to the other as is often the case in big economic centers.
Many recreational spaces in Maine
You will also find more than enough recreational spaces in Maine where you can relax and reload your batteries for the stressful things yet to come so you can perform at work and also in your private life in the best possible manner.
Traffic is not a big problem in most parts of Maine
Since Maine is not really crowded outside the big cities yet, traffic is also not a big deal in many regions of Maine and you may therefore be able to get from A to B in a proper manner.
Finding a parking lot is pretty easy
Since traffic is not a big problem, it is also pretty easy to find a parking lot in most areas of Maine and you therefore don’t have to spend lots of time and money in this regard.
You may find lots of cultural diversity in the big cities of Maine
While you may miss high levels of cultural diversity in many rural parts of Maine, you can still find many interesting cultural influences in the big cities which can make your life in Maine just more interesting.
You can talk to many interesting people
There are also many interesting characters you can meet in Maine and by talking to those people, you can get information on alternative ways of life and may also learn about life in general so you may become more tolerant and may also be able to grow in character in the long run.
Decent internet connection for most people in Maine
Many people in Maine also have a pretty good internet connection which enables them to work from home and also to stay up-to-date with latest developments so they may be able to adjust important decisions in real-time.
Maine is a pretty safe state
You should also not forget that Maine is a pretty safe state and thanks to pretty low crime rates, you may feel much safer in Maine compared to people moving to Detroit or other regions where crime is a much bigger problem.
You may be able to see your kids grow up in a peaceful atmosphere
Since Maine is a pretty safe state, you may also be able to raise your kids in a rather peaceful atmosphere and your kids may not be confronted with unpleasant things of big city life as early as kids growing up in bigger metropolitan regions.
Social problems in Maine are not as severe as in many other states yet
You should also know that while the gap between the poor and the rich is increasing in Maine, it is still not as severe as in many other places in the US and social cohesion may still be stronger in Maine.
Maine becomes increasingly popular all over the US
While Maine is not the most popular state in the US yet, it still becomes more popular since many people consider moving to Maine and once this happens, you will be able to enjoy even more different cultural influences which may make your life much better in general.
Maine may still be an underrated state
Since there are so many nice things to experience in Maine while housing costs are still rather low outside the big cities, moving to Maine may also make sense for you and Maine may be considered underrated for people who love nature and don’t need big city life to get happy in the long run.
As you can see, there are many reasons for moving to Maine.
Yet, there are also some drawbacks of living in Maine that I want to discuss for you in the following so you will be better able to decide whether you still want to move to Maine or rather want to move to Arizona or other interesting regions instead.

Disadvantages of Living in Maine
- Cold winters may become annoying in Maine
- Maine is not the most popular region for international tourists
- Pretty high living costs in Maine
- Property prices and rents are about to increase in Maine
- You often have to make really good money to afford a decent lifestyle in Maine
- Income levels are rather low compared to living costs in Maine
- High overall financial pressure for many people living in Maine
- Many people in Maine are no longer able to live the American dream
- You may not be able to save enough money for retirement
- Many people in Maine have to go into debt sooner or later
- Unemployment rate in Maine is rather high
- Many low-qualified people have a hard time finding decent jobs
- Hard to build a strong business network in Maine
- Maine may become increasingly expensive in the future
- Maine may become increasingly crowded
- Nature in Maine become increasingly polluted
- Maine may get hit by natural disasters sooner or later
- Climate change may lead to increasing costs for homeowners insurance
- Maine may not be the most popular region
- Limited entertainment options outside of the big cities of Maine
- Nightlife is not great in many parts of Maine
- You may get bored with your life in Maine in the long run
- Moving to Maine may not be great if you don’t like nature
- Rather poor public transport in many parts of Maine
- People who don’t have a car in Maine may just not be mobile enough
- Distances may be pretty long outside the big cities of Maine
- Hard to find cultural diversity outside of the big cities of Maine
- You may not find as many exciting foods as in many other states
- Limited number of great museums in Maine
- You may miss a great art scene in Maine
- Not as many great shopping opportunities as in bigger metropolitan regions
- Maine may not be the greatest place for students
Cold winters may become annoying in Maine
One downside to living in Maine is that you would have to deal with pretty cold winters and if you are the kind of person who just loves the heat all year long, you may be far better off moving to Austin or other regions with far milder winters.
Maine is not the most popular region for international tourists
You should also know that Maine is not the most popular tourist destination on a global scale and while people living in Los Angeles may be able to meet many tourists from all over the world, you would have a much harder time in the Maine region.
Pretty high living costs in Maine
You should also not forget that living costs in Maine are pretty high compared to the rest of the US and you may therefore have to spend more money on drinks and many other things compared to people living in Minneapolis or other cheaper regions.
Property prices and rents are about to increase in Maine
While property prices and rents are still affordable in many regions of Maine, you should still know that housing costs have increased substantially over the past decades and in case this trend continues, you may have a hard time buying a home in the future.
You often have to make really good money to afford a decent lifestyle in Maine
Since Maine is a rather expensive state, you may also need to make pretty good money to afford a decent lifestyle in this region and you may therefore have to work many extra hours to enjoy your dream life.
Income levels are rather low compared to living costs in Maine
Another problem with living in Maine is that living costs are also pretty high compared to the average income and this means that many people have trouble paying their bills since they simply don’t make enough money to afford nice things in this region.
High overall financial pressure for many people living in Maine
Due to rather high living costs, many people in Maine also have to deal with significant financial pressure and may have to worry about financial problems quite often while people in less expensive regions often have a more relaxed time from a financial point of view.
Many people in Maine are no longer able to live the American dream
Since living in Maine has become increasingly expensive over the past years and decades, many people are no longer able to live the American dream in this region and may not get happy in the long run while people living in Columbus or other cheaper regions may have an easier time affording a decent lifestyle.
You may not be able to save enough money for retirement
Since many people in Maine don’t make really good money from what they are doing while living costs are pretty high, many of them may also not be able to save enough money for retirement and may suffer from serious old-age poverty.
Many people in Maine have to go into debt sooner or later
Another disadvantage of living in Maine is that you may also have to get into debt sooner or later since you may just not be able to make enough money from your job to pay your bills and may get into serious financial trouble sooner or later.
Unemployment rate in Maine is rather high
You should also be aware of the fact that unemployment rate in Maine is above national average and you may therefore have to worry about losing your job quite often which may make it hard to plan your life and may also greatly lower your overall quality of life in general.
Many low-qualified people have a hard time finding decent jobs
Especially if you don’t have solid education, you may have a really hard time finding and keeping a decent job in Maine since you might be replaceable pretty easily and the number of jobs you might be able to do may be rather limited.
Hard to build a strong business network in Maine
Another downside to moving to Maine is that you may also have a rather hard time building a strong business network since many talented and ambitious people just move to bigger metropolitan regions sooner or later and you may therefore not meet as many influential people as in other states and your career progress may therefore be slower as well.
Maine may become increasingly expensive in the future
Since Maine becomes increasingly popular by people from all over the US, demand for housing may also increase significantly which may lead to increasing rents, property prices and may make your life in Maine just even more expensive in general.
Maine may become increasingly crowded
You should also know that Maine becomes increasingly crowded and if this trend continues, you may no longer have enough space for yourself in public and also traffic may become a bigger problem which may lower overall quality of life quite a lot.
Nature in Maine become increasingly polluted
Another problem with moving to Maine is that many people just don’t care about keeping nature clean and just dispose of their waste in natural habitats which may lead to serious pollution in the long run and may make nature less attractive which may lower overall quality of life as well.
Maine may get hit by natural disasters sooner or later
Another disadvantage of moving to Maine is that the region may also get hit by storms, floods or other natural disasters and you may therefore lose everything you have and may even lose your life if you are unlucky during one of those extreme events.
Climate change may lead to increasing costs for homeowners insurance
Since climate change may make natural disasters in Maine more common, also the costs of homeowners insurance may increase substantially which may lead to a state where you might no longer be able to afford it and in case you get hit by natural disasters, you may get into serious financial trouble and may no longer be able to rebuild your home.
Maine may not be the most popular region
While Maine becomes increasingly popular, it is still not the most popular state in the US yet and your loved ones may therefore not understand your decision of moving to Maine and you may have to justify quite a lot in this regard.
Limited entertainment options outside of the big cities of Maine
While you may find many nice things to do in the urban parts of Maine, you may just not find as many exciting things to do in the rural regions and may therefore run out of options regarding what to do in case you don’t like nature.
Nightlife is not great in many parts of Maine
It is also pretty hard to find many great bars and clubs in the Maine region and in case you are a party person, you may just not get happy with nightlife in many regions of Maine in the long run.
You may get bored with your life in Maine in the long run
If you need action 24/7, you may also not get happy with your life in Maine since it is just not the most vibrant place and you might be better off moving to Las Vegas or other more exciting places.
Moving to Maine may not be great if you don’t like nature
In general, you should ask yourself whether you really like nature and will be fine spending your life in a rather quiet atmosphere or if you rather need big city life to become happy in the long run since in case you belong to the second group of people, you may just not get satisfied with the Maine lifestyle.
Rather poor public transport in many parts of Maine
You should also not expect to find really great public transport in most parts of Maine and may have a rather hard time getting around by bus or other means of public transportation in an efficient manner.
People who don’t have a car in Maine may just not be mobile enough
In case you are not able to drive a car due to various possible reasons, you may also not be mobile enough to manage your life in an efficient manner since you might often lose lots of time getting from A to B.
Distances may be pretty long outside the big cities of Maine
Outside of the major cities of Maine, distances can also be quite long and you may have to drive for quite a while until you find decent doctors or many other things you might need on a regular basis and this may become really annoying and may eat up a lot of time in the long run.
Hard to find cultural diversity outside of the big cities of Maine
While you may find many different cultural influences in the big cities of Maine, you may still miss cultural diversity in the rural regions of Maine and may also not be able to meet as many interesting people as in many other states.
You may not find as many exciting foods as in many other states
Since cultural diversity is rather limited in many parts of Maine, you may also not find as many great foods from all over the world as in more culturally diverse places which may make your life less interesting and may also lower your overall quality of life.
Limited number of great museums in Maine
You should also not expect to find many great museums in Maine and may run out of options in this regard pretty quickly, especially if you live in rural parts of the state.
You may miss a great art scene in Maine
You will also have a hard time finding a great art scene in Maine and if you are an artist and want to hang out with many other like-minded people, you may be better off moving to New Orleans or other regions where art plays a bigger role.
Not as many great shopping opportunities as in bigger metropolitan regions
Also in case you are a fashion victim and want to follow latest fashion trends, Maine may not be the optional state for you since the selection of fancy boutiques and shopping malls may be rather limited in many regions.
Maine may not be the greatest place for students
Since Maine is a rather expensive place and you will also not find as many exciting things to do as in many other bigger metropolitan regions, it may also not be the best place for students and you may be better off studying in Chicago or other more vibrant places.

Top 10 Moving To Maine Pros & Cons – Summary List
Living in Maine Pros | Living in Maine Cons |
---|---|
Housing shortage is not a big problem in many parts of Maine | Medical infrastructure is not great in many parts of Maine |
Maine is located at the coast | Public transport in Maine is rather poor |
People in Maine can experience real seasons | You may miss entertainment in the rural parts of Maine |
You can experience beautiful nature in Maine | Maine may not be the most exciting state |
Maine is a pretty tolerant place | Winters in Maine may be too cold for you |
You can have many interesting conversations with people in Maine | You may get bored with the Maine lifestyle sooner or later |
Maine is a pretty safe state | Not many big cities in Maine |
You can do many free things in Maine | Maine may be too quiet for you |
Maine may be an underrated state | Hard to find really good education in Maine |
Maine may be an interesting place to retire | Maine doesn’t attract many international tourists |
Is Maine A Good Place To Live?
While Maine can be a great place to live since you will find many beautiful places in nature and can also meet many interesting people and it is a rather safe state, you should still know that living costs in Maine are rather high compared to the average income and many people struggle to pay their bills in this region.
In the end, it is on you to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of moving to Maine carefully so you can make the best possible decision in this regard according to your individual circumstances.
Most Popular Cities To Live In Maine – Comparison
Living Costs | Property Prices | Income Level | Infrastructure | |
Portland | high | high | moderate | decent |
Lewiston | moderate | moderate | moderate | decent |
Bangor | moderate | low | low | decent |
South Portland | moderate | high | moderate | decent |
Auburn | moderate | low | low | poor |
Alternative States To Live
If you no longer want to move to Maine, you may also want to have a look at the following articles:
Advantages and disadvantages of living in Louisiana
Advantages and disadvantages of living in Kansas
Advantages and disadvantages of living in Kentucky
Sources
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/ME

About the author
This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.
My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.
Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.
In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.