Moving from Idaho to Maine
Everyone compares rent and groceries. Almost nobody compares the two numbers that actually decide whether a move works: state income tax and property tax. Here is Idaho and Maine, side by side.
Moving to Maine costs about
+$250/mo
more than Idaho each month, renting
Worth knowing
A cheaper house in Maine, a bigger property tax bill
The median home in Maine costs $296,600 against $418,600 in Idaho, but you would pay about $3,025 a year in property tax rather than $2,051. The rate more than cancels the lower price.
Idaho vs Maine at a glance
| Idaho | Maine | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $418,600 | $296,600 |
| Median rent | $1,238/mo | $1,139/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 5.30% | Up to 7.15% |
| Property tax rate | 0.49% | 1.02% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 97 |
| Utilities | 70 | 135 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
What changes each month
| Monthly | ID | ME | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,238 | $1,139 | -$99 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $282 | $354 | +$72 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $86 | $86 | $0 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,766 | $1,781 | +$16 |
| UtilitiesBiggest factor | $288 | $552 | +$264 |
| Total | +$250 | ||
What the move itself costs
$4,300 to $9,000
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $1,050 to $1,450, against roughly $850 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 5-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Boise is not Idaho-average and Portland is not Maine-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.