State comparison
Maine vs Arkansas: which state is better to live in?
Arkansas costs a median household about $3,800 a year less in state and local taxes than Maine, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,170 a year against $3,744 in Maine.
Maine
High tax burden · COL index 107
Wins 7 categories
Arkansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 85
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Maine vs Arkansas
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. Arkansas has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.9%, which works out to 3.6% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,680 a year. Arkansas wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.04% of home value a year in Maine and 0.60% in Arkansas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,744 against $1,170, so Arkansas has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 5.50% in Maine and 9.46% in Arkansas; Maine is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $9,787 a year in Maine, $5,966 in Arkansas. Arkansas is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Maine's cost of living index is 107 and Arkansas's is 85, where 100 is the national average; Arkansas is about 26% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $360K in Maine and $195K in Arkansas (Zillow, 2024), a $165K gap in Arkansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,500 a month in Maine and $970 in Arkansas.
Home insurance averages $900 a year in Maine and $2,600 in Arkansas, so Maine is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 109 incidents per 100,000 residents in Maine and 619 in Arkansas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Maine is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 468% lower. Property crime is 1,187 per 100,000 in Maine against 2,469 in Arkansas, again favoring Maine.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.8 years in Maine and 73.8 in Arkansas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 4.0-year edge for Maine. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Maine's health system 7th of 50 and Arkansas's 44th, so Maine scores better on care.
6.9% of Maine residents have no health insurance against 9.4% in Arkansas, which favors Maine. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Maine's K-12 schools 14th in the country and Arkansas's 42nd, 28 places apart in Maine's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Maine went to Harris by 6 points and Arkansas went to Trump by 28 points.
Maine has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of B-; Arkansas has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Maine regulates guns more tightly and Arkansas is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Maine and banned with narrow exceptions in Arkansas, and marijuana is legal for adults in Maine and medical only in Arkansas as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.15 an hour in Maine and $11.00 in Arkansas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is low in Maine (blizzard, flood) and high in Arkansas (tornado, flood), so Maine is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 26 in Maine and 35 in Arkansas (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
7
Maine
8
Arkansas
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Maine or Arkansas better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Arkansas on taxes ($5,966 a year for a median household against $9,787); Arkansas on everyday costs (index 85 against 107); Maine on safety (109 violent crimes per 100,000 against 619); Maine on schools (ranked 14th against 42nd).
Which is cheaper, Maine or Arkansas?
Arkansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 85 against 107. The median home is $360K in Maine and $195K in Arkansas (2024). On state and local taxes Arkansas saves a median household about $3,800 a year.
Does Maine or Arkansas have lower taxes?
Arkansas. A household earning $74,580 pays about $9,787 a year in Maine ($4,813 income tax, $3,744 property tax on the median home and $1,231 in sales tax) and $5,966 in Arkansas ($2,680 income tax, $1,170 property tax on the median home and $2,117 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Maine or Arkansas?
Maine, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 109 per 100,000 residents in Maine and 619 in Arkansas; property crime is 1,187 against 2,469.
Which has better schools, Maine or Arkansas?
Maine. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Maine 14th of 50 for K-12 and Arkansas 42nd.
Is Maine or Arkansas better for retirees?
Arkansas is friendlier to retirees on paper. Maine does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Arkansas does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,744 a year in Maine and $1,170 in Arkansas.