Is it cheaper to live in Vermont or Maine?

Maine and Vermont are essentially tied on moderate cost: Maine $4,025, Vermont $4,000, a gap of $25 a month that is within rounding. Both states share the same Northern New England pattern: cold winters with a meaningful heating-fuel line, MERIC indices well above the US average, and housing pressure concentrated in a few population centres (Portland in Maine, Burlington in Vermont) with much cheaper rural alternatives. Vermont runs slightly higher property taxes than Maine; Maine has marginally higher state income tax brackets at the top. Vermont’s per-capita state spending and progressive policy footprint produce higher taxes overall for higher earners. Neither state is materially cheaper than the other on a typical-household basis; choice between them comes down to coastline access (Maine wins), mountains and skiing (Vermont wins), and community character rather than dollars. For the full breakdown, see our Maine cost of living page.