10 Best Cities to Retire in Maine

Today we present you 10 best cities to retire in Maine. Before we go into details, let’s first see whether Maine is a good bargain for retirees. The first thing to know is that Maine is not a tax-friendly state. While social security income is tax-free, other forms of retirement income are taxable at rates that can be as high as 7.95 percent. Both real estate taxes and housing expenses are above the national average, with later exceeding the mean by 22 percent. In terms of real estate prices, Maine ranks in the middle among US states – with a median home value of $173,600, the Pin Tree State occupies the 23rd place. Finally, compared to an average American, a resident of Maine spends 4.2 percent more on costs of living. Although your wallet might get thinner in Maine, your safety and health might very well improve. The state boasts low crime rates and quality health care with 298 doctors per capita (US average is 261). The other reason why seniors might consider Maine as their destination is a colorful nature that includes sceneries ranging from coastline, lakes and rivers to rocky mountains. Although the majority of seaside towns with home prices as high as $500,000 are out of reach for average retirees, there is a plenty of affordable places inland that are less than an hour drive away from the ocean. In general, people who opt for active retirement and who are looking for places that offer opportunities for outdoor activities might find a perfect match in Maine. And if you don’t find a city that suits your needs on this list, check out our previous ranking 10 cheapest countries to live like a king.

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In creating the ranking 10 best places to retire in Maine, we took into account five criteria – housing prices, costs of living, the number of doctors per capita, health costs and amenities. Data about first four factors were obtained from  Sperling’s best place, while information about last criteria were found at Tripadvisor, EtravelMaine, VistMaine, and similar websites. Finally, we decided to include on this list only places with a population over 2,000.