The 04730 zip code in Houlton tops our ranking of the most affordable places to live in Maine.
We looked at 27 zip codes in the state, evaluating home values, rental costs, energy rates, property taxes, and five other affordability indicators. We used the data we gathered to calculate our proprietary Affordability Score for each zip code.
Top 10 most affordable places to live in Maine
| Rank | City | Affordability Score | Median home value | Rental costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houlton 🥇 | 100.0 | $139,571 | $1,819 |
| 2 | Skowhegan 🥈 | 75.9 | $225,452 | $1,819 |
| 3 | Winslow 🥉 | 73.1 | $257,892 | $1,231 |
| 4 | Gardiner | 69.6 | $298,838 | $1,819 |
| 5 | Bangor | 69.5 | $280,421 | $1,593 |
| 6 | Farmington | 66.4 | $257,668 | $1,819 |
| 7 | Lewiston | 66.0 | $287,968 | $1,363 |
| 8 | Auburn | 65.1 | $312,010 | $1,400 |
| 9 | Augusta | 63.9 | $275,501 | $1,467 |
| 10 | Sanford | 59.2 | $355,970 | $1,663 |
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1. Houlton
Here's why the 04730 zip code in Houlton is Maine's most affordable place to live.
🔎 Key data about Houlton
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 27 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 100.0 | No. 1 | N/A |
| Median home value | $139,571[1] | No. 1 | -$288,502.56 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.7 | No. 1 | -3.0 |
| Home value five-year change | 61.3%[2] | No. 3 | -5.6% |
| Home value one-year forecast | 3.1%[3] | No. 18 | 0.0% |
| Rental costs | $1,819[4] | No. 8 | $0 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.44% | No. 5 | 0.0% |
| Median household income | $51,017[5] | No. 26 | -$23,457 |
| Property taxes | $1,663[6] | No. 1 | -$2,281 |
| Energy costs | $0.17 kWh[7] | No. 3 | $0.00 |
Houlton's 04730 zip code is the cheapest place to live in Maine, leading the 27 markets we evaluated.
The median home value is $139,571, making it the 1st-cheapest housing market in the state. Forecasts project a 3.1% change in home values in the next year. Rent in the zip code averages $1,819 per month, which is the 5th cheapest amount in Maine.
The median property tax for homeowners in Houlton is $1,663 per household, the No. 1 ranked market in Maine.
Residents pay $0.17 per kWh of electricity, which ranks No. 3 among Maine markets.
2. Skowhegan
The 4976 zip code is the 2nd-cheapest place to live in Maine.
🔎 Key data about Skowhegan
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 27 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 75.9 | No. 2 | N/A |
| Median home value | $225,452[8] | No. 2 | -$202,621.65 |
| Home affordability ratio | 4.217765775 | No. 2 | -1.5 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.8822988034[9] | No. 27 | 21.3% |
| Home value one-year forecast | 3.146139236%[10] | No. 18 | 0.0% |
| Rental costs | $1,819[11] | No. 8 | $0 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.44% | No. 5 | 0.0% |
| Median household income | 53453[12] | No. 23 | -$21,021 |
| Property taxes | $1,914[13] | No. 2 | -$2,030 |
| Energy costs | 0.1666149975 kWh[14] | No. 4 | $0.00 |
Skowhegan's 4976 zip code has a median home value of $225,452, which is the 18th-cheapest housing market in Maine. You can rent for an average of $1,819 per month. That's the 8th-cheapest price in the state.
The average household income in the zip code is 53453, which ranks 23rd-highest in the state.
Homeowners in Skowhegan pay a median property tax of $1,914 per year, making it the 2nd-most affordable market in Maine.
Skowhegan ranks No. 4 among Maine energy markets. You'll pay 0.1666149975 per kWh of electricity.
3. Winslow
The 3rd-cheapest place to live in Maine is Winslow's 4901 zip code.
🔎 Key data about Winslow
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 27 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 73.1 | No. 3 | N/A |
| Median home value | $257,892[15] | No. 4 | -$170,181.93 |
| Home affordability ratio | 5.073118043 | No. 10 | -0.7 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.84790133[16] | No. 26 | 17.9% |
| Home value one-year forecast | 4.2%[17] | No. 25 | 1.1% |
| Rental costs | $1,231[18] | No. 1 | -$588 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.42% | No. 4 | 0.0% |
| Median household income | 50835[19] | No. 27 | -$23,639 |
| Property taxes | $2,482[20] | No. 7 | -$1,462 |
| Energy costs | 0.1666149975 kWh[21] | No. 4 | $0.00 |
The No. 4 cheapest housing market in Maine is Winslow's 4901 zip code, with a median home value of $257,892. Rents in the market average $1,231 per month, making it the 1st-most affordable rental market in the state.
The median property tax for households in Winslow is $2,482, which makes it the 7th-cheapest place in Maine. Winslow ranks No. 4 among Maine markets by energy costs. Residents pay 0.1666149975 per kWh of electricity.
4. Gardiner
The 4345 zip code in Gardiner comes in at No. 4 on our list of the cheapest places to live in Maine.
🔎 Key data about Gardiner
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 27 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 69.6 | No. 4 | N/A |
| Median home value | $298,838[22] | No. 8 | -$129,236.25 |
| Home affordability ratio | 4.257310305 | No. 3 | -1.5 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.7773557481[23] | No. 21 | 10.8% |
| Home value one-year forecast | 4.3%[24] | No. 26 | 1.2% |
| Rental costs | $1,819[25] | No. 8 | $0 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.44% | No. 5 | 0.0% |
| Median household income | 70194[26] | No. 15 | -$4,280 |
| Property taxes | $2,255[27] | No. 4 | -$1,689 |
| Energy costs | 0.1666149975 kWh[28] | No. 4 | $0.00 |
The No. 8 cheapest housing market in Maine is Gardiner's 4345 zip code, where the median home value is $298,838. Renters here pay an average of $1,819 per month.
When it comes to energy costs, Gardiner ranks 4th among Maine markets. Residents pay 0.1666149975 per kWh of electricity.
The median property tax for households in the zip code is $2,255, which makes it the 4th-cheapest market in Maine.
5. Bangor
The 4401 zip code in Bangor ranks No. 5 among Maine's most affordable places to live.
🔎 Key data about Bangor
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 27 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 69.5 | No. 5 | N/A |
| Median home value | $280,421[29] | No. 6 | -$147,652.90 |
| Home affordability ratio | 4.50207886 | No. 4 | -1.2 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.6590663926[30] | No. 12 | -1.0% |
| Home value one-year forecast | 3.7%[31] | No. 22 | 0.6% |
| Rental costs | $1,593[32] | No. 5 | -$227 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.56% | No. 19 | 0.1% |
| Median household income | 62287[33] | No. 19 | -$12,187 |
| Property taxes | $2,982[34] | No. 9 | -$962 |
| Energy costs | 0.164189946 kWh[35] | No. 1 | $0.00 |
Bangor's 4401 zip code has a median home value of $280,421, the 6th-cheapest market in the state. Forecasts project a 3.7% change in home values in the next year.
The median property tax per household in Bangor is $2,982. It's the 9th-cheapest market by tax rate in Maine.
6. Farmington
The No. 6 most affordable place to live in Maine is the 4938 zip code.
🔎 Key data about Farmington
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 27 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 66.4 | No. 6 | N/A |
| Median home value | $257,668[36] | No. 3 | -$170,405.42 |
| Home affordability ratio | 4.910683456 | No. 5 | -0.8 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.7841193178[37] | No. 23 | 11.5% |
| Home value one-year forecast | 3.146139236%[38] | No. 18 | 0.0% |
| Rental costs | $1,819[39] | No. 8 | $0 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.44% | No. 5 | 0.0% |
| Median household income | 52471[40] | No. 25 | -$22,003 |
| Property taxes | $1,965[41] | No. 3 | -$1,979 |
| Energy costs | 0.1666149975 kWh[42] | No. 4 | $0.00 |
The back half of our top 10 kicks off with Farmington's 4938 zip code, which has the 3rd-cheapest home values in Maine. The median home value is $257,668. Rents average $1,819 per month, making it the 8th-most affordable rental market in the state.
Residents pay 0.1666149975 per kWh of electricity. It's the 4th-cheapest energy market.
7. Lewiston
Lewiston's 4240 zip code is the 7th-cheapest place to live in Maine.
🔎 Key data about Lewiston
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 27 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 66.0 | No. 7 | N/A |
| Median home value | $287,968[43] | No. 7 | -$140,105.87 |
| Home affordability ratio | 5.301618585 | No. 13 | -0.4 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.8435416417[44] | No. 25 | 17.5% |
| Home value one-year forecast | 4%[45] | No. 24 | 0.9% |
| Rental costs | $1,363[46] | No. 2 | -$456 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.51% | No. 18 | 0.1% |
| Median household income | 54317[47] | No. 22 | -$20,157 |
| Property taxes | $2,859[48] | No. 8 | -$1,085 |
| Energy costs | 0.1666149975 kWh[49] | No. 4 | $0.00 |
You'll find the 7th-cheapest home values in Maine in Lewiston's 4240 zip code. The median value: $287,968. Renters in Lewiston pay an average of $1,363 per month.
Homeowners in Lewiston pay a median property tax of $2,859 per year, which is Maine's 8th-most affordable market.
The average household income is 54317, which ranks 22nd-highest in the state.
8. Auburn
The 8th-cheapest place to live in Maine is Auburn's 4210 zip code.
🔎 Key data about Auburn
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 27 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 65.1 | No. 8 | N/A |
| Median home value | $312,010[50] | No. 9 | -$116,064.00 |
| Home affordability ratio | 5.229887923 | No. 11 | -0.5 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.7809921845[51] | No. 22 | 11.2% |
| Home value one-year forecast | 3.8%[52] | No. 23 | 0.7% |
| Rental costs | $1,400[53] | No. 3 | -$419 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.35% | No. 2 | -0.1% |
| Median household income | 59659[54] | No. 20 | -$14,815 |
| Property taxes | $3,647[55] | No. 12 | -$297 |
| Energy costs | 0.1666149975 kWh[56] | No. 4 | $0.00 |
The 9th-cheapest housing market in Maine is Auburn's 4210 zip code, with a median home value of $312,010. Renters pay an average of $1,400 per month, the No. 3 rental market in the state.
The median property tax for households in Auburn is $3,647, which makes it the 12th-cheapest place in Maine. The average household income of 59659 ranks 20th.
9. Augusta
Augusta's 4330 zip code sneaks into the top ten of Maine's most affordable places to live.
🔎 Key data about Augusta
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 27 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 63.9 | No. 9 | N/A |
| Median home value | $275,501[57] | No. 5 | -$152,573.00 |
| Home affordability ratio | 5.24763597 | No. 12 | -0.5 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.817737394[58] | No. 24 | 14.9% |
| Home value one-year forecast | 4.4%[59] | No. 27 | 1.3% |
| Rental costs | $1,467[60] | No. 4 | -$352 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.79% | No. 23 | 0.4% |
| Median household income | 52500[61] | No. 24 | -$21,974 |
| Property taxes | $2,467[62] | No. 6 | -$1,477 |
| Energy costs | 0.1666149975 kWh[63] | No. 4 | $0.00 |
The 5th-cheapest housing market in Maine is Augusta's 4330 zip code, where the median home value is $275,501. Renters pay an average of $1,467 per month. It's the state's 4th-cheapest rental market.
The median property tax for households within the zip code is $2,467, which makes it the 6th-cheapest property tax rate in Maine.
10. Sanford
The final spot on our list of the most affordable places to live in Maine goes to the 4073 zip code in Sanford.
🔎 Key data about Sanford
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 27 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 59.2 | No. 10 | N/A |
| Median home value | $355,970[64] | No. 11 | -$72,103.73 |
| Home affordability ratio | 5.041713118 | No. 7 | -0.7 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.7435235916[65] | No. 19 | 7.5% |
| Home value one-year forecast | 2.7%[66] | No. 10 | -0.4% |
| Rental costs | $1,663[67] | No. 6 | -$157 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.35% | No. 3 | -0.1% |
| Median household income | 70605[68] | No. 14 | -$3,869 |
| Property taxes | $3,644[69] | No. 11 | -$300 |
| Energy costs | 0.1666149975 kWh[70] | No. 4 | $0.00 |
The 11th-most affordable market in Maine is Sanford's 4073 zip code. The median home value is $355,970. Rent in the market costs $1,663 per month on average, making it the 6th-most affordable rental market in Maine.
The median property tax for households in Sanford is $3,644, which is the 11th-cheapest property tax rate in the state.
Sanford ranks No. 4 among Maine markets by energy costs, with households paying 0.1666149975 per kWh of electricity.
How we ranked the most affordable places in Maine
We evaluated 27 zip codes in Maine with a population over 10,000 on nine metrics. We then assigned each market an Affordability Score based on its weighted and combined rankings.
Our proprietary Affordability Score is a score on a scale of 0 (worst in state) to 100 (best in state) that estimates the affordability of a particular zip code. It takes into account these key data points for each zip code.
- Median home value: The median home value for each zip code comes from the Zillow Home Value Index. The lower the median home value relative to the median value in Maine, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 23.8% to median home value.
- Home affordability ratio. The home affordability ratio is the typical median home value divided by the median household income in the zip code, which reveals the number of years of household income needed to afford a home in that zip code. A lower ratio is better because it means more households can afford a home. The data comes from the Zillow Observed Rent Index and the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 23.8% to the home affordability ratio.
- Home value five-year change: The home value five-year change is the amount that the median home value in the zip code has risen or fallen during the last five years. Our data comes from the Zillow Home Value Index. We assign a weight of 4.8% to the home value five-year change.
- Home value one-year forecast: The home value one-year forecast comes from Zillow Forecast data. It projects how much home values in the zip code are forecasted to change in the next year. We assign a weight of 4.8% to the home value one-year forecast.
- Rental costs. The rental costs are the observed rents in the zip code, sourced from the Zillow Observed Rent Index. The index includes "listed rents that fall into the 40th to 60th percentile range for all homes and apartments in a given region." We assign a weight of 11.9% to rental costs.
- Median household income: The inflation-adjusted median household income figures for the zip code comes from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 4.8% to median household income.
- Rent affordability ratio. The rent affordability ratio is the ratio of rental costs divided by median household income, which provides the percentage of household income needed to pay a typical month’s rent in the zip code. The data comes from the Zillow Observed Rent Index and the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 11.9% to the rent affordability ratio.
- Property taxes: The property tax figures are the median real estate taxes paid in the zip code, sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. The lower the property tax rate relative to the Maine average, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 7.1% to property taxes.
- Energy costs: The energy costs are the costs of a kilowatt hour (kWh) of residential electricity in the zip code, sourced from the U.S. Department of Energy. The lower the cost of electricity relative to the Maine average, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 7.1% to energy costs.
✍️ Editor’s note: Our Affordability Score identifies the most affordable places in a state by zip code. Often the zip code we identify will represent an entire city or portion of a city.
Occasionally the zip code we identify will encompass an area that includes one or more small towns. In these cases, the data we’ve gathered applies to the entire zip code, not just the single town we’re using to help identify the zip code's location.
If you’re looking to move to one of these affordable places, we recommend doing additional research to make sure the costs in the area — and the quality of life it offers — meet your specific needs.
