Cincinnati, OH vs Portland, ME
Moving from Cincinnati to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($311,270 → $542,063 median home) and taxes.
Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati, OH, you'd need about $110,751 in Portland, ME (+$10,751).
Livability — Cincinnati, OH: 70 · Portland, ME: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,651 sqft in Cincinnati vs 1,568 sqft in Portland ($189 vs $319 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Cincinnati, OH | Portland, ME | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,900 | $27,840 | +$8,940 |
| Groceries | $4,718 | $4,917 | +$199 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $2,775 | −$250 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $3,072 | +$972 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,000 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $8,820 | $12,997 | +$4,177 |
| Total | $38,863 | $52,601 | +$13,738 |
Side by side
| Metric | Cincinnati, OH | Portland, ME |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.2 | 104.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.37% | 3.37% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.36 | $5.94 |
| Median home price | $311,270 | $542,063 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.1× | 6.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.5% | 1.0% |
| Price per square foot | $189 | $319 |
| Median rent | $1,575 | $2,320 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 12.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 5.50% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 7.15% |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $8,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.40% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 28.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $78 | $78 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $104 | $86 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $71 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 110 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 80 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 10 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 45.3 | 43.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 23.3 | 49.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 50% | 48% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |