Phoenix, AZ vs Portland, ME
Moving from Phoenix to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $542,063 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix 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 Phoenix, AZ, you'd need about $99,692 in Portland, ME (−$308).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Portland, ME: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 1,568 sqft in Portland ($242 vs $319 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Portland, ME | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $27,840 | +$6,936 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $4,917 | −$2 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $2,775 | −$1,185 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $3,072 | +$1,404 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,000 | −$800 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $12,997 | +$5,717 |
| Total | $40,531 | $52,601 | +$12,070 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Portland, ME |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 104.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 3.37% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.94 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $542,063 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 6.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 1.0% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $319 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $2,320 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 12.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 5.50% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 7.15% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $8,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | 2.40% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 28.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $54 | $78 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $106 | $86 |
| Home internet / mo | $77 | $71 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 110 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 80 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 10 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 7.2 | 43.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 49.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 85% | 48% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |