State comparison
Colorado vs Maine: which state is better to live in?
Colorado costs a median household about $2,200 a year less in state and local taxes than Maine, mostly because its income tax takes 4.4% of a median income against 6.5% in Maine, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 110 against 107).
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 6 categories
Maine
High tax burden · COL index 107
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Colorado vs Maine
Colorado has a flat 4.4% income tax, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,282 a year. Maine has a graduated income tax topping out at 7.15%, which works out to 6.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,813 a year. Colorado wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Colorado and 1.04% in Maine (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,616 against $3,744, so Colorado has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.76% in Colorado and 5.50% in Maine; Maine is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,634 a year in Colorado, $9,787 in Maine. Colorado is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Colorado's cost of living index is 110 and Maine's is 107, where 100 is the national average; Maine is about 3% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $545K in Colorado and $360K in Maine (Zillow, 2024), a $185K gap in Maine's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850 a month in Colorado and $1,500 in Maine.
Home insurance averages $2,800 a year in Colorado and $900 in Maine, so Maine is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 453 incidents per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 109 in Maine (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Maine is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 316% lower. Property crime is 2,859 per 100,000 in Colorado against 1,187 in Maine, again favoring Maine.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in Colorado and 77.8 in Maine (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.0-year edge for Colorado. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Colorado's health system 9th of 50 and Maine's 7th, so Maine scores better on care.
7.4% of Colorado residents have no health insurance against 6.9% in Maine, which favors Maine. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado's K-12 schools 9th in the country and Maine's 14th, 5 places apart in Colorado's favor. Maine runs a school-choice voucher program; Colorado does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Colorado went to Harris by 11 points and Maine went to Harris by 6 points.
Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Maine has permitless carry and a grade of B-, so Colorado regulates guns more tightly and Maine is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.42 an hour in Colorado and $14.15 in Maine.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado) and low in Maine (blizzard, flood), so Maine is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Colorado and 26 in Maine (under 50 is good), favoring Maine.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
6
Colorado
10
Maine
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Colorado or Maine better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Colorado on taxes ($7,634 a year for a median household against $9,787); Maine on everyday costs (index 107 against 110); Maine on safety (109 violent crimes per 100,000 against 453); Colorado on schools (ranked 9th against 14th).
Which is cheaper, Colorado or Maine?
Maine is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 107 against 110. The median home is $545K in Colorado and $360K in Maine (2024). On state and local taxes Colorado saves a median household about $2,200 a year.
Does Colorado or Maine have lower taxes?
Colorado. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,634 a year in Colorado ($3,282 income tax, $2,616 property tax on the median home and $1,736 in sales tax) and $9,787 in Maine ($4,813 income tax, $3,744 property tax on the median home and $1,231 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Colorado or Maine?
Maine, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 453 per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 109 in Maine; property crime is 2,859 against 1,187.
Which has better schools, Colorado or Maine?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado 9th of 50 for K-12 and Maine 14th. Maine also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Colorado or Maine better for retirees?
Maine is friendlier to retirees on paper. Colorado taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Maine does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,616 a year in Colorado and $3,744 in Maine.