Cost Of Living in Orono, ME

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Orono	Maine	National
Cost of living	104	102	100
Goods & Services	109	109	100
Groceries	102	102	100
Health care	103	103	100
Housing	95	92	100
Transportation	109	109	100
Utilities	107	107	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Orono is 1% higher than the Maine average
The cost of living in Orono is 4% higher than the national average
Orono housing is 5% lower than the national average
Maine general sales tax is 8% higher than the national average
Maine state income tax is 123% higher than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$87,311	$7,276	$2,037	$2,620
Renters	$23,633	$1,969	$551	$709

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Orono, ME, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Orono, the median monthly income is $87,311 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $2,037 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $23,633, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $551 on monthly rental expenses.

Maine Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Maine	5.5%	5.5%

Maine Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Maine	5.8%	7.15%

Goods & Services

Item	Orono	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$28.67	$24.26	18.2%
Beauty Salon	$53.03	$45.56	16.4%
Toothpaste	$3.69	$3.70	0.3%
Shampoo	$1.17	$1.28	8.9%
Movie	$13.07	$12.13	7.7%
Bowling	$17.76	$18.00	1.4%

Groceries

Item	Orono	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.41	$5.84	7.3%
Fried Chicken	$1.43	$1.57	8.9%
Milk	$4.75	$4.67	1.7%
Potatoes	$5.00	$4.93	1.3%
Pizza	$11.93	$12.09	1.3%
Beer	$10.22	$10.41	1.9%

Health Care

Item	Orono	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$170.67	$125.68	35.8%
Doctor	$146.50	$135.78	7.9%
Dentist	$119.58	$113.29	5.6%
Ibuprofen	$10.72	$10.65	0.7%
Lipitor	$372.90	$468.60	20.4%

Housing

Item	Orono	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$173,700.00	$184,700.00	6.0%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$2,456.69	$2,346.69	4.7%
Apartment Rent	$927.00	$949.00	2.3%

Transportation

Item	Orono	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.52	$3.46	1.7%
Tire Balancing	$76.01	$59.92	26.8%

Utilities

Item	Orono	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$218.65	$193.99	12.7%
Phone	$185.73	$192.25	3.4%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Milford, ME	2,356	96	3.6%
Old Town, ME	7,453	98	2.3%
Bangor, ME	32,029	101	0.5%
Brewer, ME	9,026	102	2.3%
Hampden, ME	4,373	107	7.2%
Orono, ME	9,523	104	3.5%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Merrydale, LA	9,523	90	10.1%
Helotes, TX	9,525	123	22.5%
Francisville, KY	9,520	119	18.8%
Midland, WA	9,518	118	17.9%
Countryside, VA	9,517	141	41.4%
Orono, ME	9,523	104	3.5%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in Orono, ME