

New York vs Portland
$701/mo more in Portland
New YorkPortlandAbout 266 miles apart, close enough to drive.
- Portland leaves you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
- Real winters
Same paycheck, two cities. $1,943/mo in Portland. $1,242/mo in New York. +$8,412 a year.
New York
$1,242
left each month
Portland
$1,943
+$701 vs New York
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 304 households moved New York → Portland (avg AGI $121,530). 238 went the other way. The whole move →
+$701 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | New York | Portland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $9,292 | $7,878 | −$1,413 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,886 | $2,071 | −$815 |
| Take-home pay | $6,405 | $5,807 | −$598 |
| Rent | $3,018 | $1,867 | −$1,151 |
| Getting around | $347 | $510 | +$163 |
| Groceries | $496 | $410 | −$86 |
| Healthcare | $558 | $462 | −$96 |
| Utilities | $310 | $257 | −$53 |
| Everything else | $434 | $359 | −$75 |
| Left over | $1,242 | $1,943 | +$701 |
Salary to match New York
$81,000
Gross pay in Portland that leaves the same amount as $111,500 in New York.
Tax difference
+$4,756
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 31.1% in New York, 26.3% in Portland.
More about Portland
New York, NY in full
The one place where skipping a car genuinely offsets the rent.
Portland, ME in full
State income tax topping out at 7.15%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $2,223 and 185 sunny days; commutes average 25 minutes.
The other way
Start in Portland.
Portland → New York →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Portland than New York?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Portland leaves about $701 more a month. A one-bedroom is about $3,018 in New York and $1,867 in Portland.
Does Portland have state income tax?
Portland is in Maine, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from New York to Portland?
The paycheck is taxed in Maine. Rent stays at the same bedroom count. What you keep is the difference.
Left over each month is take-home pay minus rent and the rest of the bills. The gap between New York and Portland changes with the job, remote or local pay, and bedrooms. How we figure this · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Estimate, not a quote. How we figure this.