Part of the Moving to Maine guide
From locals, not a chamber of commerce. Updated April 2026.
Short Answer
The cheapest places to live in Maine are in Aroostook County (the far north), Washington County (eastern Down East), and the western Maine mountain towns. Median home prices commonly run under $200k. The trade-offs are thinner job markets, longer drives to hospitals and airports, and less reliable broadband. Among real cities, Bangor, Waterville, and Augusta offer the best low-cost living with full services. The full Moving to Maine guide covers what living in Maine looks like by region.
There's cheap, and there's cheap-but-the-nearest-emergency-room-is-90-minutes-away. The smart Maine cost-of-living move is finding the second-cheapest tier: real cities at half the price of Greater Portland.
For example
A direct example: a 3-bedroom 1,500-square-foot single-family in good condition runs about $620k in Falmouth (Greater Portland), $250k in Waterville, $230k in Bangor, $175k in Skowhegan, $150k in Caribou, and $130k in Lubec. Same general type of house, sharply different math.
Three categories. Real cities at low cost: Bangor, Waterville, Augusta, Lewiston, Auburn. Median home prices $180k-$300k, real services, real broadband, real hospitals. Small towns near those cities: Hampden, Brewer, Hallowell, Gardiner, Winslow, Fairfield. Often cheaper than the city core, with the same access. Genuinely rural Maine: Aroostook County, Washington County, the western mountains. Median home prices under $200k, often under $150k, but you give up convenience for cost. The cheapest places in Maine are not where most people should move; the second-cheapest places are.
Bangor is the strongest cheap-city pick: median homes $200k-$300k, major hospital, regional airport, real grocery and shopping, 90 minutes to Acadia. Waterville is the up-and-coming pick: median homes $180k-$280k, MaineGeneral hospital, Colby College driving downtown investment. Augusta is the state capital pick: cheapest state capital in the Northeast, stable government job market. Lewiston and Auburn: the Twin Cities, often overlooked, median homes $200k-$300k, growing immigrant community has revived the food scene, easy I-95 access to Portland.
Ready to plan the move?
Start your move plan →Forget Greater Portland and Mount Desert Island. The cheap Maine coast is east of Ellsworth. Machias: county seat of Washington County, hospital, university (UMaine Machias), median homes commonly $130k-$200k. Lubec: easternmost town in the U.S., dramatic coast, median homes often under $150k. Eastport: easternmost city in the U.S., working port, very affordable. Cherryfield and the wild blueberry barrens: cheapest coastal land in Maine, very rural. The trade-off across all of these is real isolation: 2+ hours to Bangor, 4+ hours to Portland, limited shopping, slow broadband in many areas.
Aroostook County: northernmost county, often called "The County," median home prices commonly under $150k. Cities: Caribou, Presque Isle, Houlton, Madawaska, Fort Kent. Real winters (100+ inches of snow), thin economy outside healthcare, agriculture, and government. Piscataquis County: Greenville, Dover-Foxcroft. Mountain country, very cheap, very rural. Somerset County: Skowhegan and the towns north along the Kennebec. Cheap, gateway to the western mountains. These areas are for people who want land and quiet at any cost; not for people who need a deep job market or fast services.
Save: roughly 50-70% on housing vs. Greater Portland. Lower property taxes in many towns. Cheap rentals if you can find them. Less competition for everything. Trade away: job market depth (most cheap-Maine areas depend on healthcare, government, and trades). Fast broadband (improving, but uneven). Restaurant and entertainment options. Shopping (you'll drive 30-60 minutes for a Costco). Specialty healthcare. Reliable cell service in some pockets. Most people who move to genuinely cheap Maine either work remotely with verified broadband, are retired, or are in a profession that exists everywhere (healthcare, education, trades).
Yes, if
You're a remote worker or retiree, you can verify broadband at the specific address, you don't need a deep niche job market, you value land and quiet over convenience, and you're prepared for real winters.
No, if
You need a wide year-round job market in a specific industry, you require a major-metro restaurant scene, you need fast specialty healthcare close by, or you can't tolerate long winters in a deep-rural setting.
Cheapest real city in Maine with full services
Cheapest small city with revival momentum
Cheapest state capital in the Northeast
Not cheap (skip if cost is your priority)
The opposite of cheap (skip entirely if cost-driven)
Aroostook County (far northern Maine) consistently has the lowest median home prices, commonly under $150k. Washington County (eastern Down East) is also among the cheapest. Both trade affordability for isolation and thin job markets.
East of Ellsworth: Machias, Lubec, Eastport, and Cherryfield offer some of the cheapest coastal land in Maine, with single-family homes commonly under $200k. Mount Desert Island (Bar Harbor) is the opposite, among the most expensive coastal markets in the state.
Mixed. NH has no state income or sales tax but high property taxes; Maine has both income and sales tax but doesn't tax Social Security. Housing is similar in southern Maine and southern NH; north of those zones, Maine is generally cheaper.
Yes. Bangor, Waterville, and Augusta all offer real city services (hospital, airport in Bangor, broadband, shopping, restaurants) at half the cost of Greater Portland. This is the practical sweet spot for most cost-conscious newcomers.
Get the free Maine moving checklist, or jump into one of our deep town guides.