Charlotte, NC vs Portland, ME
Moving from Charlotte to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($390,321 → $542,063 median home) and taxes.
Charlotte vs Portland at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Charlotte, NC, you'd need about $107,224 in Portland, ME (+$7,224).
Livability — Charlotte, NC: 66 · Portland, ME: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,561 sqft in Charlotte vs 1,568 sqft in Portland ($195 vs $319 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Charlotte, NC | Portland, ME | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,880 | $27,840 | +$6,960 |
| Groceries | $4,834 | $4,917 | +$83 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $2,775 | −$355 |
| Utilities | $1,752 | $3,072 | +$1,320 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $1,000 | −$1,000 |
| Taxes | $8,740 | $12,997 | +$4,257 |
| Total | $41,336 | $52,601 | +$11,265 |
Side by side
| Metric | Charlotte, NC | Portland, ME |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.3 | 104.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.71% | 3.37% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 10.0% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 39 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.54 | $5.94 |
| Median home price | $390,321 | $542,063 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.1× | 6.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.4% | 1.0% |
| Price per square foot | $195 | $319 |
| Median rent | $1,740 | $2,320 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.9% | 12.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 5.50% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 7.15% |
| Property tax rate | 0.72% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $8,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.10% | 2.40% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.3 | 28.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 110 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 80 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 10 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |