Maine or Virginia? (Portland, Augusta, Kittery: car registration, health insurance, home)

[badcat23661]

I live in Virginia - am thinking about moving to Maine. Everyone thinks I'm nuts because of the high cost of living, lower wages and insane property taxes (when compared to the South). I have done a cost of living calculator and it looks like it would cost about 20% more to live in Maine. I'm interviewing for a job in mid-coast Maine and even though it pays well for the area (55k) it represents a 25% pay reduction right off the top. I love Maine and would like to move but want to know how people ( other than the hyper-wealthy) make it?

[flycessna]

I used to live in Lake ridge area Prince William County. I've been back there and it has changed so much. Very much reminds me of Mass around Boston. I also have family in Ashland and a close friend in winchester so I am very famaliar with those parts of the state also. And I have course been down the blue ridge to Roanaoke and have done the Va beach thing too.

We all know DC/VA is not the same as southern Va. So I guess it really depends on what part of Va your coming from. Compared to DC/VA Home prices are cheaper here but taxes are the same becuase of Maine's high mil rates. You WILL make less money. And I always say that once you get past the housing everything else costs about the same like cars, food ect. So my friends in Va that have a higher income then me get hosed when they have to buy a home but after that it seems they live far better than me.

Compared to the richmond area our prices are about the same but our taxes are WAY higher. My sister lives in a bigger home than me that is worth about 50k more than mine. Her taxes are K1200 and mine are $3600. I also pay more in income tax, car ins, gas (tax), and car registration. Health ins. is ridiculas here in Maine. Food is also a little more here but all those things are just part of living here and you probably wouldn't notice it once you get use to paying them.

Where are you from and why do you "Love Maine"

[Submariner]

Hey.

I used to live a bit South of Virginia Beach Va for a couple years, and later I lived in Newport News Va. It has been a long time ago though.

Maine has widely different regions. Some with higher taxes, higher crime, more congestion and all; while other areas are the opposite.

Our property taxes are very low. My Mil Rate is 0.00842, which is fairly low. The WWW says that the property tax Mil Rate in Norfolk Va is 0.0111. So Norfolk's property taxes are significantly higher than here in Penobscot county Me.

Our annual taxes on our vehicles [here they call it 'excise tax'] is low. My stationwagon costs $25, my DW's Saab costs $30, my Willy costs me $5. And the plates are cheap.

We moved here largely because we saw opportunity to live a lifestyle that we preferred to live, at a far cheaper cost-of-living. But then we are not urban and that makes a huge difference.

We bought land, are in the process of building a farm house, and raising our last teenager. I bring in a pension and my DW works part-time in a grocery. My pension amount is very near to working minimum-wage.

We can afford to live here in Maine, to buy land, to build a house, to raise a teen; all on a fairly small income.

If you plan to earn anything above minimum-wage, if you have any access to a second adult earning minimum wage [or better]; then I see no reason why you would not be able to prosper in Maine.

It is hard to say that any one cost-of-living really fits all of Maine.

May God bless you

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Wise words from forest beekeeper. If you want a $185,000 house, two new vehicles and health insurance you better be rich. The taxes are horrendous. I need a good pickup. It's 2 years old and has 46,000 miles on it. I just paid $540 to register it. If I had a 1965 pickup instead of a 2005 pickup I would have paid about $40 to register it.

It's expensive to spend as much as Augusta spends. Maine's population is lower than the population of Phoeniz, Arizona. How many universities does a population of 1.3 million need? I ran for office several years ago. As I knocked on doors I kept hearing the same words and I began a list:

Agency
Authority
Administration
Bureau
Board
Center
Compliance
Commission
Council
Department
Division

The list goes on and on. We have a road that goes from Kittery to Augusta called the Maine Turnpike. It parallels the interstate. There is something called the Maine Turnpike Authority to run that 110 mile road. It has five administration buildings, numerous garages for all the equipment and an enormous staff. The interstate that parallels it has one garage and no huge bureaucracy. Those of us above the Volvo line wish Augusta would figure out that the Maine Turnpike is a collossal waste of money. No other 110 mile stretch of road in Maine has such a huge bureaucracy associated with it.

That's my rant for the week. Time for a cup of coffee.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Wise words from forest beekeeper.

Thank you, sir.

... If you want a $185,000 house, two new vehicles and health insurance you better be rich. The taxes are horrendous. I need a good pickup. It's 2 years old and has 46,000 miles on it. I just paid $540 to register it. If I had a 1965 pickup instead of a 2005 pickup I would have paid about $40 to register it.

Ah-up

Two entirely different Maines.

One person can find a low cost-of-living / low-taxes Maine; and another person can find a high cost-of-living / high-taxes Maine.

... We have a road that goes from Kittery to Augusta called the Maine Turnpike. It parallels the interstate. There is something called the Maine Turnpike Authority to run that 110 mile road. It has five administration buildings, numerous garages for all the equipment and an enormous staff. The interstate that parallels it has one garage and no huge bureaucracy. Those of us above the Volvo line wish Augusta would figure out that the Maine Turnpike is a collossal waste of money. No other 110 mile stretch of road in Maine has such a huge bureaucracy associated with it.

I may have been under a misunderstanding, I thought that I-95 became the 'turnpike'.

If the two exist side-by-side, than I want to drive on the Federally funded I-95 and to avoid the turnpike from now on.

???

[bigchuckie]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

Thank you, sir.






If the two exist side-by-side, than I want to drive on the Federally funded I-95 and to avoid the turnpike from now on.

???

take 295 if headed south truckers call it the poor mans road

[BacktoNE]

badcat, $55K will allow you to live very comfortably if you get away from the southern part of Maine.

We lived just north of Augusta; my DH was making $52K and we lived very comfortably on his salary alone.

There really are 2 Maines = one is affordable and the other, not so much.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

forest beekeeper wonders:
"I may have been under a misunderstanding, I thought that I-95 became the 'turnpike'."

The turnpike predates President Eisenhower's interstate huighway system. When the interstates were formed and numbered our turnpike also became I-95 under an exemption because the interstates were supposed to be toll free. The feds built another road to provide a relatively toll free trip to Houlton. They called it I-295.

Later they switched numbers. Last year they switched back and renumbered the mile markers. Then they changed all the exit numbers. All those people in the Maine DOT and the Maine Turnpike Authority have to find things to do. For a while they put yellow signs under al, the brand new signs saying "Formerly Exit 55" for example. Now they are taking down the yellow signs. Everybody who has one of those GPS navigation systems shows the old exit numbers. When you are looking for the Benedicta exit there is no doubt when you are there, but when you are in the Portland area that navigation system can be very confusing with conflicting exit numbers and directions.

[moughie]

I lived in Crystal City, Virginia for 2 years before children.
I remember car registration prices as being ridiculously high ( 20 years ago)
However, VA is a great place to live if you have no mortgage, children or responsibilities!!!

Maine is wonderful! !!!!

However you must be willing to live with less and become frugal, esp if you believe your salary will be less. ( Pls refer to the excellent frugal thread that El started!) Sounds like you have targeted the mid coast area- beautiful area!
Best of luck to you.

[badcat23661]

I live in tidewater but I've been coming to Maine every summer since I was a child. For the past few years I've been coming in the winter and I like the cold, the people, the coastlline.