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I've been offered a job in Portland that I think would be a good career move and that I'd enjoy, there's some room for growth and I think I'd learn a lot. I live in New York and have been thinking about leaving for a while now, particularly to get a better quality of life where there's more available to me in the city where I live - NYC can feel like a lot of it is just for rich people.
My salary will be $43K/year and I'm basically wondering if that can be a livable wage in Portland. I'm moving with my boyfriend and he'll be looking for a job - he works in/teaches theater so that would be the ideal but if nothing works out right away he'd find other work - but since my salary is the only one we know about as of now I'm looking at it like that would be the only income at first. Also, I will likely be the breadwinner - like maybe combined we'll eventually get into the 60K/year range but have to plan for what we know!
I'm hoping to be able to get a one or two bedroom apartment for under about $1400/month, afford groceries and a car payment (we plan to get a car), maybe go out to a nice dinner once a month and be able to afford basic entertainment stuff for us, while putting away a bit of money every month - basically, I don't need to feel like I'm rich but I'd like to not be struggling financially.
Does this seem realistic for Portland on a $43,000/year salary? And is it a pipe dream to think we'd be able to find a place in Parkside or somewhere relatively close to downtown? (Or if not are there other areas that would be more in reach?)
Any insight anyone has would be great! If I'm being totally unrealistic I just want to find out now and adjust, instead of when I get there.
I live in New York and have been thinking about leaving for a while now, particularly to get a better quality of life where there's more available to me in the city where I live - NYC can feel like a lot of it is just for rich people
First and most important question would be what are you expecting here? A lot of people, especially of younger generations, move to Maine thinking it's something it's not and end up sorely disappointed (and often "trapped" here a while). I've seen lots and lots of coworkers around my age move here with big hopes and dreams and become depressed people very quickly (and eventually get out of here). If you're thinking Portland is going to be a more laid-back NYC you're probably gonna be disappointed.
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My salary will be $43K/year and I'm basically wondering if that can be a livable wage in Portland. I'm moving with my boyfriend and he'll be looking for a job - he works in/teaches theater so that would be the ideal but if nothing works out right away he'd find other work
43k is more than fine by Maine standards. Your bf however... yeah no, again this is not NY so his job pool if he's looking for something in theater is going to be miniscule to non-existent in size.
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I'm hoping to be able to get a one or two bedroom apartment for under about $1400/month, afford groceries and a car payment (we plan to get a car), maybe go out to a nice dinner once a month and be able to afford basic entertainment stuff for us, while putting away a bit of money every month - basically, I don't need to feel like I'm rich but I'd like to not be struggling financially.
Okay so first off, the car? Smart choice. I see way too many people talking about moving to Maine and not getting a vehicle; you absolutely 100% need a vehicle in this state (or someone who can drive you around at least). So kudos for not falling into that trap. As far as the rent? $1400 in Portland is... possible, but there can be a real lack of rentals available in the city. I'll tell you the same advice I give to everyone; don't get so caught up on living IN Portland. Living IN Portland is for retirees and people with six figure incomes, but the good news is Portland is not like NYC or anything, you don't need to live in it to be nice and close to it. Most everyone lives in South Portland, Scarborough, Westbrook, etc instead; and let me put it this way: I live in Westbrook; I'm less than 10 minutes from the Old Port (the exciting part of Portland); I pay HALF what I'd pay if I lived IN Portland, I have a much nicer place, I have off-street parking, and I also avoid a bunch of fees the city loves to nickel and dime you to death on.
First and most important question would be what are you expecting here? A lot of people, especially of younger generations, move to Maine thinking it's something it's not and end up sorely disappointed (and often "trapped" here a while). I've seen lots and lots of coworkers around my age move here with big hopes and dreams and become depressed people very quickly (and eventually get out of here). If you're thinking Portland is going to be a more laid-back NYC you're probably gonna be disappointed.
We're in our 30s and are definitely looking for a change of pace from NYC - we actually live in a part of Brooklyn that's pretty laid back/not particularly hip and sort of far from Manhattan so we're happy to be in a quieter and much smaller place with a slower pace, a lot more outdoor space and nature, and (for example) a few great restaurants and a couple museums to choose from instead of a million different things like there are in NYC. We're also considering a place where it might be good to raise a child in the next few years so that's kind of the mindset we're in.
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Originally Posted by jeremywolf81
43k is more than fine by Maine standards. Your bf however... yeah no, again this is not NY so his job pool if he's looking for something in theater is going to be miniscule to non-existent in size.
Great to hear that about the salary, from someone who is actually there! Yes, he's definitely not expecting to get a big acting/directing career going in Maine! He does more teaching so he's looking into making contacts at some of the schools in the area (SMCC, USM etc) to see if they need any adjunct instructors, etc. And he'd take an unrelated job to pay bills while he waits for something to come through.
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Originally Posted by jeremywolf81
$1400 in Portland is... possible, but there can be a real lack of rentals available in the city. I'll tell you the same advice I give to everyone; don't get so caught up on living IN Portland. Living IN Portland is for retirees and people with six figure incomes, but the good news is Portland is not like NYC or anything, you don't need to live in it to be nice and close to it. Most everyone lives in South Portland, Scarborough, Westbrook, etc instead; and let me put it this way: I live in Westbrook; I'm less than 10 minutes from the Old Port (the exciting part of Portland); I pay HALF what I'd pay if I lived IN Portland, I have a much nicer place, I have off-street parking, and I also avoid a bunch of fees the city loves to nickel and dime you to death on.
I also avoid a bunch of fees the city loves to nickel and dime you to death on.
About this - do you mean fees for actually getting a rental (like in NYC we pay broker's fees), or stuff like paying for trash removal, heat instead of the landlord paying for it, etc? Just wondering what kinds of stuff the city nickel and dimes you on if you live IN Portland.
About this - do you mean fees for actually getting a rental (like in NYC we pay broker's fees), or stuff like paying for trash removal, heat instead of the landlord paying for it, etc? Just wondering what kinds of stuff the city nickel and dimes you on if you live IN Portland.
The city of Portland has extra taxes and fees here and there on just about everything it seems (plastic bags at grocery stores for example). It's not nearly as bad as some place like NYC, but keep in mind the average salary in Maine is probably about half of what it is in NY too so we tend to notice it more.
Well here's my thoughts good and bad on your additional information.
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We're in our 30s and are definitely looking for a change of pace from NYC - we actually live in a part of Brooklyn that's pretty laid back/not particularly hip and sort of far from Manhattan so we're happy to be in a quieter and much smaller place with a slower pace
Slower pace, yes that's a good way to describe it, you'll probably enjoy that part then.
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a lot more outdoor space and nature, and (for example) a few great restaurants and a couple museums to choose from instead of a million different things like there are in NYC.
I'll deal with that first part in a second, because honestly it's a big issue people have incorrect assumptions about Maine. Restaurants and museums? I don't think you'll have a problem with the Portland restaurant scene, it is pretty decent given the size, museums and cultural eh... I hope you like lighthouses and the like, that's... about the extent of it around here. You can always visit Boston if you're really wanting the arts, theatre, etc I guess.
Now, that first part, outdoor and nature. Here we come to the big siren song that seems to lure younger people to Maine, and there's something I would caution. I find when people say "I like the outdoors" there are two different groups of people, very very different groups that do NOT get along with each other.
1). The hiking, camping, let's preserve nature and be at peace type. Ok... Maine has that... you kinda gotta look for it since our woods is very "rough" I would call it, and honestly if you're into that scene Vermont and New Hampshire tend to be better options (primarily because of the second group I'll mention in a minute). This is not just me talking, all my friends are also big outdoors types of this variety and we tend to get OUT of Maine (or not even live here anymore) because it's actually not that great for this type of "outdoors experience"
2). The hunting, fishing, ATV, snowmobile crowd. These are your locals, the people I come from (what can I say I'm a black sheep). For this crowd, Maine is pretty nice, and this is the crowd that you'll overwhelmingly meet out there. They also tend to be a little frosty toward the first category of people (and vice versa, look up what's happening between locals and people from away with the Northern Maine Woods national park for a great example of what goes on here).
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We're also considering a place where it might be good to raise a child in the next few years so that's kind of the mindset we're in.
Families tend to move OUT of Portland for that reason. There are some good (some very good) schools in Southern Maine for kids, but the ones in Portland tend to be crowded and poorly-funded. Maine also has an aging population (oldest in the US) and many areas kids tend not to have a lot of peers. I have two couples of friends that moved out of the state once they had kids for this reason (towns don't have much geared toward families with kids it seems)
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Great to hear that about the salary, from someone who is actually there! Yes, he's definitely not expecting to get a big acting/directing career going in Maine! He does more teaching so he's looking into making contacts at some of the schools in the area (SMCC, USM etc) to see if they need any adjunct instructors, etc. And he'd take an unrelated job to pay bills while he waits for something to come through.
No I wasn't talking about working in theater I was even assuming teaching it. No lie there's probably two whole jobs in the entire state for dedicate theater teacher. This is Maine, a theater teacher is the English teacher who also runs the theater club.
I'm not trying to sound harsh or bitter, I'm just giving my experience and the biggest advice I can give is COMPLETELY get yourself out of the NY state of mind because things are very very very different here. Big ways and small. I know you have an ideal in your head but the reality is very dissimilar. I've just seen this exact thing a dozen times; people come here thinking this is going to be "oh just like some quaint little town in upstate New York" and it's very much NOT. Maine is a very different culture. Portland not as blatantly so, but still...
Well, I personally wouldn't paint quite as bleak a picture as jeremywolf81 but he's a lot closer to reality than all the glossy magazines about Maine and Portland.
A couple thoughts;
I would do my best to avoid Parkside.
I think a lot can be learned about Portland from the answers to this post:
Like jeremywolf81 I would urge you to not get too hung up on living in town Portland and to consider some of it's neighborhoods and the surrounding towns.
But the BEST thing you could do is get thee over to JFK, get yourself a $150 RT ticket on Jet Blue (great airline BTW) and spend some time here looking around.
You could find a place on the far western edge of the peninsula for less than $1,400 a month. You'll be a 15 minute walk from downtown instead of a 10 minute walk like from Parkside. It's also much less crowded. Maine Medical Center is in the neighborhood so it can feel a little more institutional, but there are a lot of great restaurants like Salvage BBQ, Saeng Thai, Huong's Viatnamese, Margarita's (yeah - it's a chain-lite but still good!), etc. There's also two great breweries and two transportation centers within walking distance.
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