State comparison
Maine vs Vermont: which state is better to live in?
Maine costs a median household about $1,500 a year less in state and local taxes than Vermont, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $3,744 a year against $6,574 in Vermont.
Maine
High tax burden · COL index 107
Wins 9 categories
Vermont
High tax burden · COL index 111
Wins 4 categories
Taxes: Maine vs Vermont
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. Vermont has a graduated income tax topping out at 8.75%, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,317 a year. Vermont wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.04% of home value a year in Maine and 1.73% in Vermont (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,744 against $6,574, so Maine has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 5.50% in Maine and 6.22% in Vermont; 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, $11,282 in Vermont. Maine is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Maine's cost of living index is 107 and Vermont's is 111, where 100 is the national average; Maine is about 4% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $360K in Maine and $380K in Vermont (Zillow, 2024), a $20K gap in Maine's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,500 a month in Maine and $1,600 in Vermont.
Home insurance averages $900 a year in Maine and $900 in Vermont.
Safety
Violent crime runs 109 incidents per 100,000 residents in Maine and 167 in Vermont (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Maine is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 53% lower. Property crime is 1,187 per 100,000 in Maine against 1,390 in Vermont, again favoring Maine.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.8 years in Maine and 79.8 in Vermont (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.0-year edge for Vermont. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Maine's health system 7th of 50 and Vermont's 5th, so Vermont scores better on care.
6.9% of Maine residents have no health insurance against 3.8% in Vermont, which favors Vermont. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Maine's K-12 schools 14th in the country and Vermont's 6th, 8 places apart in Vermont'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 Vermont went to Harris by 31 points.
Maine has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of B-; Vermont has permitless carry and a grade of B-.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.15 an hour in Maine and $13.67 in Vermont.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is low in Maine (blizzard, flood) and low in Vermont (blizzard, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 26 in Maine and 27 in Vermont (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
9
Maine
4
Vermont
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Maine or Vermont better to live in?
Maine wins more of the measures that decide a move. Maine on taxes ($9,787 a year for a median household against $11,282); Maine on everyday costs (index 107 against 111); Maine on safety (109 violent crimes per 100,000 against 167); Vermont on schools (ranked 6th against 14th).
Which is cheaper, Maine or Vermont?
Maine is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 107 against 111. The median home is $360K in Maine and $380K in Vermont (2024). On state and local taxes Maine saves a median household about $1,500 a year.
Does Maine or Vermont have lower taxes?
Maine. 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 $11,282 in Vermont ($3,317 income tax, $6,574 property tax on the median home and $1,392 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Maine or Vermont?
Maine, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 109 per 100,000 residents in Maine and 167 in Vermont; property crime is 1,187 against 1,390.
Which has better schools, Maine or Vermont?
Vermont. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Maine 14th of 50 for K-12 and Vermont 6th.
Is Maine or Vermont better for retirees?
Maine is friendlier to retirees on paper. Maine does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Vermont taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,744 a year in Maine and $6,574 in Vermont.