State comparison
Idaho vs Maine: which state is better to live in?
Idaho costs a median household about $2,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Maine, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,040 a year against $3,744 in Maine.
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 7 categories
Maine
High tax burden · COL index 107
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Idaho vs Maine
Idaho has a flat 5.8% income tax, which works out to 5.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,326 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 $4,868 a year. Idaho wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Idaho and 1.04% in Maine (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,040 against $3,744, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.02% in Idaho 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: $7,713 a year in Idaho, $9,842 in Maine. Idaho is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Idaho's cost of living index is 96 and Maine's is 107, where 100 is the national average; Idaho is about 11% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $425K in Idaho and $360K in Maine (Zillow, 2024), a $65K gap in Maine's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,500 a month in Idaho and $1,500 in Maine.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Idaho and $900 in Maine, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 228 incidents per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 109 in Maine (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Maine is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 109% lower. Property crime is 1,535 per 100,000 in Idaho against 1,187 in Maine, again favoring Maine.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.7 years in Idaho and 77.8 in Maine (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.1-year edge for Maine. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Idaho's health system 32nd of 50 and Maine's 7th, so Maine scores better on care.
9.0% of Idaho 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 Idaho's K-12 schools 30th in the country and Maine's 14th, 16 places apart in Maine's favor. Maine runs a school-choice voucher program; Idaho does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Idaho went to Trump by 30 points and Maine went to Harris by 6 points.
Idaho has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Maine has permitless carry and a grade of B-, so Maine regulates guns more tightly and Idaho is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Idaho and protected by state law in Maine, and marijuana is illegal in Idaho and legal for adults in Maine as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Idaho and $14.15 in Maine.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake) and low in Maine (blizzard, flood), so Maine is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 48 in Idaho 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 rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
7
Idaho
7
Maine
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Idaho or Maine better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Idaho on taxes ($7,713 a year for a median household against $9,842); Idaho on everyday costs (index 96 against 107); Maine on safety (109 violent crimes per 100,000 against 228); Maine on schools (ranked 14th against 30th).
Which is cheaper, Idaho or Maine?
Idaho is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 96 against 107. The median home is $425K in Idaho and $360K in Maine (2024). On state and local taxes Idaho saves a median household about $2,100 a year.
Does Idaho or Maine have lower taxes?
Idaho. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,713 a year in Idaho ($4,326 income tax, $2,040 property tax on the median home and $1,347 in sales tax) and $9,842 in Maine ($4,868 income tax, $3,744 property tax on the median home and $1,231 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Idaho or Maine?
Maine, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 228 per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 109 in Maine; property crime is 1,535 against 1,187.
Which has better schools, Idaho or Maine?
Maine. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho 30th of 50 for K-12 and Maine 14th. Maine also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Idaho or Maine better for retirees?
Idaho is friendlier to retirees on paper. Idaho does not tax 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 $2,040 a year in Idaho and $3,744 in Maine.