Portland, Maine: Beautiful, Charming, and Quite Expensive to Live in

When it comes to quality of life, it's hard to beat Maine.

That includes the state's largest city, Portland—a charming small city that's easy to appreciate.

What Makes Portland, Maine, Such a Great City?

Portland is a gem. Let’s run through a few reasons why its quality of life is so outstanding.

-Incredible Food
-No Traffic
-Fun Night Life
-Easily Walkable
-It's Small
-Relatively Safe
-Vibrant Art Scene
-Affordable Entertainment
-Competitive Sports Teams
-Easy Access to Interstates
-Beautiful Scenery
-Easy Water Access
-Respectable Suburbs
-Did I Mention the Food?

It also helps that Portland is relatively small by city standards. It gives off the vibe of a large town. Perhaps that will change in the coming years, but for now, it still holds onto that incredible Maine "village" spirit.

What is the Biggest Issue Facing Portland, Maine?

While all of this is outstanding, there’s one glaring issue that needs to be addressed: the cost of living. And, well—how do I put this mildly... it's outrageous.

The folks over at U.S. News & World Report compiled a list of the most expensive cities to live in. Portland ranked as the 21st most expensive, and one of the smallest cities in the top 25. Not great, Bob!

The findings were based on scores and metrics compiled by U.S. News. The magazine analyzed data from various sources to create the rankings. You can read more about the methodology here.

How Expensive is it to Live in Portland, Maine?

One of the most striking statistics is Portland’s median home price compared to the national average. Portland comes in at $449,949, that’s nearly $200,000 above the national average. It’s understandable for a metro area to be higher, but nearly $200,000? That’s bananaland.

Here’s a summary from U.S. News regarding the current state of Portland’s housing market:

Public officials and residents are increasingly concerned about Portland's affordability because housing costs are rising steadily. Given the high cost of living, the region has a sizable homeless population—some of whom came to the metro area from elsewhere to benefit from regional social services.

Portland also lacks many of the amenities that larger cities offer, like extensive public transportation, abundant job opportunities, affordable rental properties, and convenient parking. And with the city becoming a tourist hot spot, things are only getting more difficult, especially as new hotels are approved more often than affordable housing projects.

I love Portland. I love working here. I love its restaurant and bar scene. I love going to Portland Hearts of Pine games. And I also love living 30 minutes away in a town that’s much closer to the national median home price than Portland.

READ MORE: Popular Portland Neighborhood Named Best in Maine for Foodies

Fortunately, I have that option, many others don’t. Hopefully, more help is on the way, because right now, things feel completely out of control.