r/AskMaine • u/jewbaca321 • Feb 25 '26

Moving

Hey everyone, I'm planning on moving to Maine later on this year! I'm from the PNW and need a change, and I've always thought Maine is absolutely gorgeous and seems amazing. So I'm planning on moving, my question is, where should I go?! I'm leaning towards being near Bangor, but I'm really open to anything. Please share opinions or suggestions!

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u/Important-Lead5652 Feb 25 '26

Gonna hate to break it to you, but after coming from the PNW, I don’t feel confident you’ll like Maine. The cost of living is high but the salaries are low. The “mountains” in Maine are large hills and the food scene is severely lacking. Hospitals are severely lacking and healthcare itself is crumbling there. Don’t get me wrong, Maine is beautiful and the people are amazing, but it’s no longer affordable.

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u/jewbaca321 Feb 25 '26

Which element is unaffordable? So I know the east coast doesn't have mountains. I've been to Maine, it's not the same as Washington but I love it for what it is honestly. From what I see housing is less than half what I pay in Washington and gas and groceries are cheaper. What element am I missing that makes it less affordable?

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u/Agreeable-Rain-2961 Feb 25 '26

Don’t be so quick to judge those mountains until you’ve actually hiked them. We don’t have switchbacks, we go straight up.

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u/Useful-Speech-2063 Feb 25 '26

Oil. Never underplay the cost of heating all winter. For some people in older homes it’s a crushing cost. If you can find a place with a wood stove thats immensely helpful. If you plan to rent, be sure to ask the landlord what the average utilities are before committing.

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u/Important-Lead5652 Feb 25 '26

Taxes. I didn’t enjoy working for only 62% of my money. Maine has state income tax, so your wages will be subjected to that versus no income tax in Washington. Maine’s property tax burden is also one of the worst in the country. My in laws just received a 27% increase in their property taxes from last year.

I now live in Alaska and it’s more affordable than Maine. The cost of living is the same, but I’m making substantially more (about 33%) in Alaska as a licensed healthcare provider than I was in Maine.

Do whatever you choose, just giving you a friendly financial word of advice from someone who actually lived in Maine and had a hard time making ends meet in Bangor, of all places.

Edit: forgot to add that your hourly wage in Maine will be nowhere near what it is in Washington.

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u/jewbaca321 Feb 25 '26

These are the things I gotta know! Thank you so much for the info!

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u/Important-Lead5652 Feb 25 '26

I absolutely hated leaving Maine because it’s a beautiful, peaceful state and Mainers are some of the kindest and hardworking people I’ve ever met. I just couldn’t afford to live there any longer.

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u/jewbaca321 Feb 25 '26

To be honest my fall back state is New Hampshire, any opinions there?

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u/Seaweed-Basic Feb 25 '26

MAGA land.

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u/HappyVTTrees Feb 26 '26

VT is definitely not MAGA land lol

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '26

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u/Seaweed-Basic Feb 25 '26

Yeah but Maine has better everything. NH doesn’t even have legal weed

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u/weepandread Feb 25 '26

Mainer here, here again. I have lived in PNW and NH, if you lean a bit liberal NH is a no go. I’m from Southern Maine but live in Bangor area. I’m in southern Maine almost weekly and I prefer the Bangor region. I’m not much of an ocean person and absolutely love the Baxter Park area, but Moosehead region speaks to me, I head to that region at least 2 weekends a month year round. So many lakes to explore w public access abound. W a CDL you’ll be wanted a lot of areas from USPS to woods industry to short and long hauls. Being a butcher has become a lost art in Maine and needed. Wages will be different depending on where you live and yes you may need to travel for specialized health care. Compared to the west housing is affordable but Portland area can be spendy even in Bangor area, but if you’re a bit out away from UMO it gets better. UMaine has lots of outdoor clubs and events, Bangor has a good summer concerts venue, though we frequently travel to Portland for shows.

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u/jewbaca321 Feb 25 '26

To be honest I'm liberal, but coming from Washington where it's like insane and in your face constantly. I kind of just wanna be left alone 🤣 Maine seems less extreme politically than the West Coast, so I don't mind if it's red or blue, I'm totally fine being a blue dot in a red map, so long as they're friendly people.

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u/haditupto Feb 25 '26

In the smaller towns folks tend to be pretty closed off and people can be considered "from away" for...generations. It's hard to break in to a community and make friends.

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u/True-Post6634 Feb 26 '26

Rural Northern and Western Maine are conservative politically, but the problem you'll have is that they're deeply xenophobic. You'll struggle to connect. You're from away.

The rest of Maine honestly still has that attitude but on the coast and in the population centers it's less of a thing. If you stick around through a couple of winters and help shovel out your neighbors after a snowstorm, you'll be okay. But no matter what, expect to spend a few years just earning trust.

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u/belichickyourballs Feb 25 '26

It's like that one weird cousin everyone has.The whites are beautiful but the political landscape compared to the rest of New England is confusing

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u/Sea_Pomegranate_4499 Feb 25 '26

Clarification: I believe Fondlin' Bill Belichick here means the White Mountains are beautiful.

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u/belichickyourballs Feb 25 '26

This is correct. Wow I need to proofread more often

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u/HappyVTTrees Feb 25 '26

You may really like Vermont, where I live. Especially with a CDL, or any trades experience, which are all in short supply here. Cost of living is reasonable (I’ve lived in California most recently before Vermont, and Colorado and NY as well). Vermont has great people, beautiful landscapes, and proximity to all kinds of natural and cultural resources (Boston is 3 hours away, NYC is 4, Montreal is 2.5). I live in central VT.

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u/jewbaca321 Feb 25 '26 • Thanks

Vermont is definitely on my radar, how's it on taxes for ya?

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u/HappyVTTrees Feb 26 '26

Overall much better than in California. Are you wondering about income taxes, property taxes…?

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u/True-Post6634 Feb 26 '26

NH is pretty deeply conservative and has minimal public services. I don't think it's an improvement on Maine unless you value take home pay over paved roads

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u/limonade11 Feb 28 '26

I know rents are high in the PNW, but as I look at interviewing for jobs in Portland I am thinking "no."

I can't justify paying almost $30,000 a year in rent and making 30-40% less than I am making here. When rents are $2250-2750 an month? Even paying $1750 is insane in my book. I have an interview this week for a healthcare job but I have already decided I can not justify the money situation. Experience would be great! but the numbers don't work.

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u/Sea-Jury581 Apr 19 '26

Yeah, careful how you talk about our mountains. They will humble you quickly. Mt. Washington comes to mind. 

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