Where is life cheaper Minneapolis or Portland, ME? (Sweden: vehicle registration, health insurance)

[Swede in CA]

On-line calculators contradict each other......help

[K-Luv]

Having lived in both, I would have to say that overall it would be Minneapolis.

-Taxes. Taxes are higher in Minneapolis, but;
-Pay/salary. Is higher in Minneapolis, so the 'extra' tax will largely go unnoticed. This is also true because of:
-Commodities. Are cheaper in Minneapolis. Even though there are higher taxes, food, clothing, and other items that are considered 'essential' to your daily needs/survival are not taxed (beer not included ). Junk food, however, is taxed.
-Car insurance. Cheaper in Portland. In fact, cheaper by about half.
-Health insurance. Cheaper in Minneapolis. Like above, you'll pay half or less than what you would pay for it here.
-Gas. Minneapolis; slightly cheaper.
-Vehicle registration. Minneapolis; cheaper. You pay a one-time tax when you first register your vehicle based on what you paid for the vehicle. After that, you pay $35 a year to renew your tabs. Here in Portland you pay an excise tax each year. I paid $80 to renew my tabs this year. Also, here in Maine, you have to have your vehicle inspected each year. That's $15 plus what ever they 'find' is wrong with your vehicle. If you do not know any better, expect to pay an extra $200 to $400 a year to keep your car legal on Maine roads.
-Rent. About the same in both cities.
-Housing prices. Slightly cheaper in Portland, but you will get a larger home for the same price here.
-Property tax. Portland; cheaper by about half, maybe.
-There are no toll roads in Minneapolis.
-Bars. Portland; cheaper. Bars in Minneapolis are twice as expensive, but most have a 2 for 1 happy hour(s) at some point during the day and evening.
-Restaurants. Portland; cheaper for comparable establishments, but pricing is about equal for the most part. One thing though, Minneapolis has more options for cheap food.
-Utilities. Basically the same in both cities.
-Parking meters. Portland; cheaper. A lot cheaper.
-Moving violations/fines/tickets. Portland; cheaper. Not that I get these or anything, but you'll pay 2x, 3x more for the same violation in Minneapolis.


That is all that I can think of right now.

[Swede in CA]

Wow, thanks for your post. It helps. So, do you think for the same price I could buy a better (or larger ) house in Portland and property taxes are cheaper?

[Swede in CA]

Why did you choose ME over MN? What was your reasoning?

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by Swede in CA

Wow, thanks for your post. It helps. So, do you think for the same price I could buy a better (or larger ) house in Portland and property taxes are cheaper?

For the same price you will, or can, get a larger house in Portland. As for better...that is all a matter of opinion. Both cities have older housing stock and while Minneapolis has tons of new homes (almost all in the suburbs) you can expect to buy a home that is between 40 and 100 years old. In Portland it is possible to buy a home that was built in the 1800's, but in Minneapolis you will probably not find anything built before 1900. Don't worry so much about the age, as both cities are in 'extreme' environments and homes are (were) built with that in mind. Because of that, these homes are 'overbuilt' compared to what you will find in California, and with that, they will probably last another 100 years while the typical Californian house would have long deteriorated (or torn down to build a strip mall).

Anyways, in my opinion, I like the homes in Minneapolis more. If not for anything else, it is purely an ascetics thing.

Both cities have their pluses and their undesirable attributes, and both will be a culture shock coming from California. Portland and Minneapolis are a lot alike in many ways. Of course they have their differences, but in my opinion they are more alike than they are different. The only real difference is the obvious one; Minneapolis is way larger than Portland.

I would highly suggest doing a good amount of research before you buy a home and I would advise against choosing the city that will give you more home for your buck, primarily because if that is your logic than you will choose Portland, but keep in mind that a home in Minneapolis will appreciate faster than here unless there is a drastic change in Maine's demographics and economy.

Originally Posted by Swede in CA

Why did you choose ME over MN? What was your reasoning?

I didn't choose either over the other, but I got tired of Minnesota long before I moved out and was going to move somewhere anyways. I am from California originally and longed to be back by the ocean but I didn't want to go back to the West Coast. I also did not want to live in the South, so the East Coast was the only option. Why Maine? For a variety of reasons, but for the most part (1) my GF was going to a community college in Minneapolis and her history teacher/advisor was really familiar with the history department and faculty at USM and he gave the program a thumbs-up (2) I was considering UNE myself and (3) the GF's family is from the East Coast and she has family that lives in Vermont and New Jersey. Her aunts, uncles, cousins, and even her mom, either vacationed in Maine on a regular basis, been here, or have lived here at some point in time. They all had nothing but good things to say about the place. Those aren't the only reasons, as there was more to the decision than simply school or others opinions on the place, but the other reasons are more or less personal. Not private, mind you, but just more or less having to do with my personality than anything else.

[Swede in CA]

Thanks for your answer. It helps. We really do not want a huge house. We are against heating up a barn more than 3,000 sq f. I believe the house up to 2,400 sq f would be plenty. We more concern about design and practicality.

We tend to go MN for many reasons. We are Swedes, lakes, economy, good salary, good schools.

The only thing I am afraid is that I will miss the ocean. This is exactly why I was looking for Maine. We love outdoors, but I think I like landscape and nature in Maine more.

We are very tired in CA. We are not living. We are making money and standing in traffic. We have no time for each other. On weekends, we drive two hours to get out of the city and hike with kids and dogs. Anyway,,, we are still thinking. Thanks for your help.

[diablogun]

Originally Posted by Swede in CA

Thanks for your answer. It helps. We really do not want a huge house. We are against heating up a barn more than 3,000 sq f. I believe the house up to 2,400 sq f would be plenty. We more concern about design and practicality.

We tend to go MN for many reasons. We are Swedes, lakes, economy, good salary, good schools.

The only thing I am afraid is that I will miss the ocean. This is exactly why I was looking for Maine. We love outdoors, but I think I like landscape and nature in Maine more.

We are very tired in CA. We are not living. We are making money and standing in traffic. We have no time for each other. On weekends, we drive two hours to get out of the city and hike with kids and dogs. Anyway,,, we are still thinking. Thanks for your help.

Pratar du Svenska?

I lived there for a bit when I was young and visit yearly; I love Sweden.

Anyway, I just moved here (Portland) and am settling in; I'll let you know how it goes as I move along, but it is very nice so far.

[Swede in CA]

Guys, where the best schools around Portland?

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by Swede in CA

Guys, where the best schools around Portland?

I am not familiar with the schools around Portland, but others on here are. I can say, however, that the public schools in Minneapolis (and surrounding area) are some of the best in the country.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by Swede in Ca

What matters:

good schools (younger kid is still in elementary)
well built home
calm life
safe place
cultural things
Universities.

When I put the list together, MN is the winner. Have been in CA for many years, I am afraid how we will adjust to a very long winter....We crave for four seasons, but afraid extremes.....
I turned down many offers..

Salary:
the largest for my job is in AK and MN
the smallest by 8-10K is in VT and ME.

ME attracts by "big water" and seafood, secluded life, forest.
MN attracts by interesting job, similar heritage, quality of schools and life.

HELP HELP HELP ! Where could we live well if I make a little over $100k and my hubby's salary depends on the location we go from 80K to 40K? Money is not everything, of course.

Aside from the ocean, real mountains, fresh seafood, and lower salary, both cities will offer much of what you are looking for. It all really depends on what kind of lifestyle you want to live. Minneapolis is metropolitan, but it is not cosmopolitan. It offers everything, but it has a weird feel to it; kind of like a rural town out in the sticks, but with a population of a couple of million. It gives the city a sort of identification crisis. Minnesotans are also very insular. They will definitely be friendly towards you but the reality is that they more than likely could care less. Minnesota Nice is total BS. Basically, if you did not at least go to high school with someone, they will not make the effort to befriend you, nor would they want to. A spot on example of this is the movie Fargo, especially the female cop and the way that she interacts with her husband and other characters and the scene with the male cop talking to the old guy shoveling his driveway. I found that extreme aloof mentality totally annoying and is one of the major reasons why I couldn't stand to live there anymore. You will make friends, maybe even lots of them, but 80 to 90% of them are going to be other people from away.

Now, don't get me wrong, Minneapolis is a great place, but the difference in attitudes and personalities may or may not get on your nerves, but I can say that it will be more of a culture shock coming from California than Portland would be.