Maine cities

The best places to live in Maine

Maine's largest cities ranked on cost, safety, schools, jobs and quality of life. Saco leads the list.

We scored Maine's cities on the same factors as our state rankings, then ranked them. Below are the 10 largest by population. Two scores per city: value (what you get for the cost) and overall livability (everything combined). Tap any city for its full profile.

#CityMedian homeRentValueOverall
1 Saco $289,800 $1,186 60 72
2 South Portland $293,700 $1,465 62 69
4 Westbrook $253,900 $1,094 66 59
5 Auburn $190,000 $814 48 53
6 Portland $341,700 $1,278 37 52
7 Lewiston $157,500 $804 58 48
8 Bangor $162,900 $883 56 45
9 Sanford $201,900 $983 64 44
10 Biddeford $278,300 $1,061 28 42
11 Augusta $149,500 $753 24 28

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Sources: Home prices and rent from Zillow; income and jobs from the U.S. Census; schools from state education data; crime from the FBI; air quality from the EPA. Rankings are within Maine. Updated 2026.