Rent Affordability for A Firefighter in Maine

A typical firefighter in Maine earns about $58,413 a year, which supports approximately $1,460 a month in rent under the 30% rule. Below, every tracked Maine city is ranked by how local rent compares against that affordability ceiling.

As of May 2026. 2 of 25 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 23 are rent-burdened on this salary.

City↕Median rent↕% of income↑Affordability
Presque Isle, ME$1,025/mo21.1%affordable
Waterville, ME$1,342/mo27.6%affordable
Bangor, ME$1,509/mo31%stretched
Lewiston, ME$1,518/mo31.2%stretched
Augusta, ME$1,549/mo31.8%stretched
Auburn, ME$1,706/mo35%stretched
Old Town, ME$1,717/mo35.3%stretched
Rockland, ME$1,719/mo35.3%stretched
Sanford, ME$1,795/mo36.9%stretched
Springvale, ME$1,895/mo38.9%stretched
Saco, ME$1,918/mo39.4%stretched
Biddeford, ME$1,924/mo39.5%stretched
Old Orchard Beach, ME$1,985/mo40.8%rent-burdened
Bath, ME$1,986/mo40.8%rent-burdened
Brunswick, ME$2,125/mo43.7%rent-burdened
Gorham, ME$2,199/mo45.2%rent-burdened
Portland, ME$2,399/mo49.3%rent-burdened
Kittery, ME$2,411/mo49.5%rent-burdened
South Portland, ME$2,413/mo49.6%rent-burdened
Yarmouth, ME$2,489/mo51.1%severely rent-burdened
Freeport, ME$2,528/mo51.9%severely rent-burdened
Scarborough, ME$2,714/mo55.8%severely rent-burdened
Orono, ME$2,900/mo59.6%severely rent-burdened
Falmouth, ME$3,011/mo61.9%severely rent-burdened
Cape Elizabeth, ME$3,217/mo66.1%severely rent-burdened
Methodology: Salary is the BLS-derived state estimate for Maine. Rent is the latest ZORI monthly value for each city. Affordability uses the 30% rule (rent ≤ 30% of gross income).