Lewiston vs Bangor leftover
Moving to Bangor costs you $153 a month
$1,828/mo leftover in Bangor vs $1,981 in Lewiston after tax and rent ($153 less). −$1,836 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Lewiston leftover
$1,981
a month after tax and rent
Bangor leftover
$1,828
−$153 vs Lewiston
Compare Lewiston to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Lewiston.
Monthly gap
Lewiston → Bangor
$153
less / month in Lewiston
$1,828 in Bangor · $1,981 in Lewiston · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 63 households moved Lewiston → Bangor (avg AGI $49,460). 80 went the other way. The whole move →
−$153 / mo
| Per month | Lewiston | Bangor | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,125 | $6,774 | −$351 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,794 | $1,665 | −$129 |
| Take-home pay | $5,331 | $5,109 | −$222 |
| Rent | $1,289 | $1,215 | −$74 |
| Getting around | $574 | $578 | +$4 |
| Groceries | $410 | $410 | $0 |
| Healthcare | $462 | $462 | $0 |
| Utilities | $257 | $257 | $0 |
| Everything else | $359 | $359 | $0 |
| Left over | $1,981 | $1,828 | −$153 |
To break even in Bangor, you'd need to earn
$84,000
Household gross, versus $85,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Lewiston does now.
The tax difference alone
+$301
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 25.2% in Lewiston, 24.6% in Bangor.
More about Bangor
Lewiston, ME in full
State income tax topping out at 7.15%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,535 and 173 sunny days; commutes average 25 minutes.
Bangor, ME in full
State income tax topping out at 7.15%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,447 and 174 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Bangor on Bangor wages.
Bangor → Lewiston →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Bangor than Lewiston?
A one-bedroom is about $1,289 in Lewiston versus $1,215 in Bangor. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $153 a month lower in Bangor. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Bangor have state income tax?
Bangor is in Maine, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Lewiston to Bangor?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Maine tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Lewiston and Bangor moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.