Renting
Data from November 2026
Renting in Maine
The typical rent in Maine is $1,139 a month (Average 2020–2024). HUD’s fair market rent for 2 bedrooms is about $1,714 (Fiscal year 2027, population-weighted average): paying it without spending more than 30% of income takes $32.96 an hour full time. Here are the figures by size and by county, how many households spend too much, and where to ask for help.
Key numbers in Maine
- Typical rent
- $1,139
- per month, Average 2020–2024
- 19% less than the U.S.
- Fair market rent, 2 BR
- $1,714
- HUD, Fiscal year 2027, weighted average
- From $1,175 to $2,376 depending on the county.
- Wage needed
- $32.96
- per hour, 2 bedrooms
- About $68,560 a year to stay under 30% of income.
- Burdened households
- 48%
- spend 30% or more on rent
- Nationwide, 51%.
Fair market rent
What HUD sets by size
HUD publishes a fair market rent every year by area and home size; Section 8 and other programs use it to set what they cover. Here it runs from the cheapest to the most expensive area of Maine, with the hourly wage it takes to pay it without going past 30% of income (40 hours a week).
Includes basic utilities. It is neither the lowest nor the highest rent on the market: it is a reference point.
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Studio
Wage: $16.38–$31.83 an hour
Lowest: $852 Highest: $1,655
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1 bedroom
Wage: $17.27–$35.85 an hour
Lowest: $898 Highest: $1,864
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2 bedrooms
Wage: $22.60–$45.69 an hour
Lowest: $1,175 Highest: $2,376
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3 bedrooms
Wage: $30.40–$55.81 an hour
Lowest: $1,581 Highest: $2,902
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4 bedrooms
Wage: $31.58–$65.06 an hour
Lowest: $1,642 Highest: $3,383
Each bar runs from the cheapest area to the most expensive; all share one scale that starts at zero. Source: Fair Market Rents (HUD) Fiscal year 2027 Fair Market Rents (HUD) (external site)
Rent burden
How many households spend too much
HUD counts rent as a burden when it reaches 30% of income or more. In Maine, 48% of renter households are in that position; nationwide, 51% (Average 2020–2024, Census).
Paying too much rent leaves little for food, transportation and savings. If that is you, the agencies below can guide you for free.
48%
of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent.
153,586 renter households in Maine
- Spend half or more of their income 22%
- Spend 30% or more, but less than half 27%
- Spend less than 30% 52%
By place
Every county, with its figure
The 2-bedroom fair market rent, the typical rent, the hourly wage it takes and the share of burdened households, in every county in Maine. Highest fair market rent first.
| York County | $1,792–$2,376 | $1,339 | $34.46–$45.69 | 44% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County | $1,941–$2,353 | $1,589 | $37.33–$45.25 | 50% |
| Penobscot County | $1,496–$1,722 | $1,041 | $28.77–$33.12 | 50% |
| Androscoggin County | $1,677 | $1,010 | $32.25 | 51% |
| Sagadahoc County | $1,659 | $1,098 | $31.90 | 48% |
| Knox County | $1,503 | $1,165 | $28.90 | 50% |
| Hancock County | $1,484 | $1,061 | $28.54 | 51% |
| Kennebec County | $1,374 | $992 | $26.42 | 49% |
| Waldo County | $1,367 | $1,021 | $26.29 | 42% |
| Piscataquis County | $1,340 | $837 | $25.77 | 38% |
| Lincoln County | $1,307 | $1,055 | $25.13 | 36% |
| Franklin County | $1,264 | $802 | $24.31 | 44% |
| Somerset County | $1,242 | $910 | $23.88 | 44% |
| Washington County | $1,230 | $783 | $23.65 | 52% |
| Oxford County | $1,224 | $836 | $23.54 | 54% |
| Aroostook County | $1,175 | $784 | $22.60 | 47% |
- York $1,792–$2,376$34.46–$45.69
- Cumberland $1,941–$2,353$37.33–$45.25
- Penobscot $1,496–$1,722$28.77–$33.12
- Androscoggin $1,677$32.25
- Sagadahoc $1,659$31.90
- Knox $1,503$28.90
- Hancock $1,484$28.54
- Kennebec $1,374$26.42
- Waldo $1,367$26.29
- Piscataquis $1,340$25.77
- Lincoln $1,307$25.13
- Franklin $1,264$24.31
- Somerset $1,242$23.88
- Washington $1,230$23.65
- Oxford $1,224$23.54
- Aroostook $1,175$22.60
Source: Fair Market Rents (HUD) Fiscal year 2027 Fair Market Rents (HUD) (external site) Source: American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates Average 2020–2024 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (external site)
Your rights as a tenant in Maine
What Maine law says about deposits, notices and eviction, with the citation for each rule.
See your rights, rule by ruleA summary of state law, not legal advice. Cities may have additional rules.
- How much can they charge for a deposit?
- Up to 2 months of rent
- 14 M.R.S. §6032
- How much notice before a rent increase?
- 45 or 75 days, depending on the case
- 14 M.R.S. §6015(1)-(2)
Help
Where to ask for help with rent in Maine
Free or official help. Demand usually exceeds funding, so waiting lists are common: ask at the agency for your county.
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7 counseling agencies
HUD-approved; 2 serve in Spanish. They counsel renters for free.
See the agencies
Tool
How much rent can you afford?
Enter your income and compare with the fair market rent in your county.
Frequently asked questions
Which county in Maine is the most expensive to rent in?
By 2-bedroom fair market rent (Fiscal year 2027), the most expensive is York County ($2,376 in York-Kittery-South Berwick, ME HUD Metro FMR Area, about $45.69 an hour) and the cheapest Aroostook County ($1,175, about $22.60 an hour).
How many households in Maine spend too much on rent?
48% of renter households in Maine spend 30% or more of their income on rent, and 22% spend half or more (Average 2020–2024, Census). Nationwide, 51%.
What is fair market rent?
A figure HUD publishes every year by area and home size; Section 8 and other programs use it to set what they pay. It is not a market price or a cap on landlords. In Maine, for 2 bedrooms in Fiscal year 2027, it runs from $1,175 to $2,376 in York-Kittery-South Berwick, ME HUD Metro FMR Area depending on the county.
Where do I ask for help paying rent in Maine?
24 public housing agencies run Section 8 vouchers and public housing in Maine; demand usually exceeds funding and waiting lists are common. HUD-approved counseling agencies counsel for free. Your county page shows the nearest ones.