r/bangorme • u/Errorr66 • 29d ago
Relocating and cost of living
Hi, I’m planning to relocate to Bangor Maine in about 7 months or so. A lot of people have told me that Bangors cost of living is lower than most towns in the New England states must still offers great options for groceries, entertainment, etc. I wanted to ask some locals if that’s true? I have a trip planned to Bangor in about a month to get more of an understanding on what it offers. My main goal is to find a town I can buckle down on my IT career and still be able to save/invest while living single. I’m relocating from Florida but I lived in Minnesota for 22 years (28 now) so I am very familiar with brutality of northern winters. Is what I have been told about Bangor still true when it comes to cost of living? Any tips or recommendations I should know when it comes to renting and locations or anything is very appreciated.
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u/TristanDuboisOLG 29d ago
Winters should be calmer than yours. Tidal river and the ocean keep the big storms away.
We also don’t get the big storms like NY (Great Lake effect).
There is a good amount to do, rent is climbing but where isn’t it? Plenty of grocery stores.
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u/bearface93 29d ago
I don’t miss lake effect snow one bit. I grew up on the southern shore of Lake Ontario. Winters were miserable, especially when the storms off Lake Erie went straight east instead of south. This was my first winter in Maine and it was nothing compared to what I’m used to.
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u/Errorr66 29d ago
I’m very glad to hear that the blizzards won’t be as bad 😂 I’m looking forward to get back into hockey and snowboarding though! Florida doesn’t offer to much winter sport options
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u/FrobozzYogurt 29d ago
Penobscot Ice Arena in Brewer (across the river from Bangor) has league play at various levels.
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u/TristanDuboisOLG 29d ago
We have plenty of snowboarding here! I also know a few intramural hockey teams as well!
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u/va_te_faire_enculer- 29d ago
Maine has a 5.5% income tax and a 5.5% sales tax, make sure you factor this. I believe MN is a few gross % less than Maine.
There are some local mountains, but they are not as big (however bigger than any of the hills in MN) as let’s say NY or Western VT.
The drives are where you’re going to see similarities. It’s almost 30-45 minutes to get anywhere outside Bangor.
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u/Errorr66 29d ago
I’m not very excited for the taxes.. Florida kinda spoiled me with that. But what I am seeing is salary and hourly wages are higher than in Florida and a little higher than in MN as well. (Atleast for basic IT roles). The mountains are a big factor in why I chose Bangor! Love hiking and nature
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u/va_te_faire_enculer- 29d ago
We do get some back at the end of the year. If you own your home, apply for a homesteading tax reduction.
Mil rates can be high, depending on the services the municipality offers.
There are a lot of really nice towns around Bangor, with good schools and less crime.Heating will be likely your largest expense outside of mortgage/rent and power.
Propane is likely the cheapest (outside of wood if you harvest), and most efficient down below 0f. Since I moved here, it’s been about 18-20 days/year below zero.My mini-splits supplement the propane, but the rate for power is high without solar batteries. Versant is somewhere around 0.32/kWh. I think last time I checked my mothers bill in Florida is was 0.14/kWh.
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u/Growing_Season8347 29d ago
There are very few decent paying IT jobs here. I have family in IT and they are under paid compared to the rest of the US.
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u/internalmonologuelol 29d ago edited 29d ago
Good luck finding dentist or healthcare in general in Bangor, you won’t. Wait lists are months or at this point already into next year, that is if you already have a PCP , if you don’t well good luck. Apartments are old, out of date and mostly owned by MREM/Rent Maine they don’t care about their properties but are quick to take your money. Bangor does not have much to do other than a strip of downtown, there’s a small community and you can make that what you will. Portland is 2 hours away which is where most of everything is. The hiking here is awesome but is not in Bangor besides maybe the city forest.
I really wish people from out of state would
stop moving here just because it’s a “lower cost of living” so you can “save up”. Maine is a poor state, the cost of living is high here for people, the job market is hard for people who do not have the luxury of IT jobs like yourself. this is coming from someone who also works in tech.
Please stay where you are
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u/Mainah-Bub 28d ago
"Please stay where you are" is the absolute worst take for Maine's oldest state.
We need younger people. Please come here.
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u/Hopeful_Celery_9797 29d ago
I will say, you should change your area code to 207.
we've lived here for 5+ years and local businesses don't answer our calls/we get upcharged estimates A LOT because we're "from away."
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u/Errorr66 29d ago
The local businesses must be struggling then. Do a lot of store close during winter times?
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u/Hopeful_Celery_9797 28d ago
Not so much in Bangor proper, the areas surrounding that rely more on tourism often do though.
Tbf, I'm a 25min drive from 'downtown bangor' so ymmv
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u/Motoescape 29d ago
Most if not all businesses in Bangor are open year round. Because Maine relies on tourism in the summer/fall a lot of places have winter hours though
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u/RelationshipQuiet609 29d ago
No, that’s a fallacy! It’s 2026 stores can be open 24/7 if they want to.
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u/Mainah-Bub 28d ago
I think that's less about you being from away and more about spam calls.
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u/Hopeful_Celery_9797 28d ago
When it's repeated attempts over multiple businesses, leaving multiple messages and receiving ridiculous markups on estimates in person, even? Hm.
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u/OregonGrownOG 29d ago
You should start trying to find doctors and dentists two months ago if your planning on moving up here. Also you’re heating cost depending on what you will be living in can range anywhere from 1000-3500 a seasons.
I have a 2bed 1 bath house and I pay close to 2k in heating oil in the winter months. This year will be more expensive due to current global affairs and orange man.
It’s still very expensive to live in Maine you have both income and sales tax to top it all off. State inspections on vehicles. Vehicle registration is very expensive every year as well. If your vehicle is newer than 5 years old I believe you will also owe excise tax.
Maines infrastructure is also really bad so you will definitely lose power several times a year. Internet brown outs as well. There is not a lot of choice for carriers up here.
Those are some of the things I wish I had know before I made the move. If I think of anything else I’ll come back and add it lol.
There is a lot to love about this state but there is a lot that people who live here will turn a blind eye towards. If you are remote you will be set. However if you ever needed a local job the opportunity here is EXTREMELY limited. Employers do not pay what it takes to survive up here.