Cost of living comparison

 Maine, USA
compared to
 North Carolina, USA
North Carolina vs. Maine Cost of Living Summary

North Carolina is 6.2% cheaper than Maine.

Restaurants
pay 17.0% less in North Carolina
Groceries
pay 7.3% less in North Carolina
Transportation
pay 12.2% more in North Carolina
Housing
pay 0.1% more in North Carolina
Childcare
pay 17.8% less in North Carolina
Entertainment and Sports
pay 4.9% less in North Carolina
Clothing
pay 8.8% less in North Carolina

The cost of transportation and housing in North Carolina are more expensive than in Maine. Expenses including childcare, restaurants, clothing, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in North Carolina.

North Carolina vs. Maine Cost Breakdown

If you lived in North Carolina instead of Maine, you would:

pay 17.0% less for restaurants

 
Maine
North Carolina
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $21.25
 
$16.06
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.88
 
$10.06
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.69
 
$2.31
 

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pay 7.3% less for groceries

 
Maine
North Carolina
Bread
1 loaf
$3.52
 
$3.48
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.94
 
$6.25
 
Milk (1 gallon) $3.95
 
$3.46
 

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pay 12.2% more for transportation

 
Maine
North Carolina
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.48
 
$3.19
 
Monthly public transit pass $60.00
 
$53.89
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $30,132.84
 
$34,400.31
 

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pay 0.1% more for housing

 
Maine
North Carolina
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$68.11
 
$72.47
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,497.50
 
$1,527.81
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,240.00
 
$1,294.23
 

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pay 17.8% less for childcare

 
Maine
North Carolina
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,964.29
 
$1,254.70
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $25,000.00
 
$25,128.75
 

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pay 4.9% less for entertainment and sports

 
Maine
North Carolina
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.38
 
$5.09
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.46
 
$4.89
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$8.96
 
$7.33
 

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pay 8.8% less for clothing

 
Maine
North Carolina
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$50.20
 
$49.88
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$40.96
 
$37.28
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$93.77
 
$86.65
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: May 2025
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