2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Lewiston-Auburn, ME to New York-Newark, NY-NJ

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs for a move from Lewiston-Auburn, ME to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$170,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+70.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$3,172
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$17,364
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$20,536/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

Lewiston-Auburn, ME

COL 106.1
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$5,129
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,051
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,384
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,667
Target Market
Destination Location

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

COL 181.0
Gross Parity Income $170,500
Federal Income Tax -$29,654
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$13,043
State Income Tax -$9,588
Local / City Tax -$6,174
Net Annual Take-Home $112,042
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$32,748
Discretionary Cash Flow $79,294

EPI family budgets put living costs 70.5% higher in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ than in Lewiston-Auburn, ME, so $100,000 in Lewiston goes about as far as $170,500 in New York. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,282 a month in Lewiston and $2,729 in New York, $17,364 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,172 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in New York. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $20,536 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,540 in Lewiston and $61,430 in New York.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Lewiston-Auburn (Monthly) New York-Newark-Jersey City (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,282$2,729+$1,447+112.9%
Food & Groceries$371$426+$55+14.8%
Transportation$1,053$693-$360-34.2%
Healthcare$559$748+$189+33.8%
Other Necessities$394$879+$485+123.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,162$2,427+$265+12.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,447/mo (112.9%)
Lewiston-Auburn: $1,282/mo New York-Newark-Jersey City: $2,729/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,294/mo (77.2%)
Lewiston-Auburn: $1,677/mo New York-Newark-Jersey City: $2,971/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$16.56/hr (70.6%)
Lewiston-Auburn: $23.47/hr New York-Newark-Jersey City: $40.03/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$12.24/hr (55.8%)
Lewiston-Auburn: $21.95/hr New York-Newark-Jersey City: $34.19/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Lewiston-Auburn Median New York-Newark-Jersey City Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$85,870$119,720+$33,850 (+39.4%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$96,730$157,000+$60,270 (+62.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$117,700$166,830+$49,130 (+41.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,980$105,650+$29,670 (+39.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$131,190$221,010+$89,820 (+68.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,490$126,660+$24,170 (+23.6%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$86,530$124,390+$37,860 (+43.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$138,050$215,300+$77,250 (+56.0%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$126,140$192,840+$66,700 (+52.9%)View Dossier
Financial AnalystFinanceFinance$80,320$128,930+$48,610 (+60.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$125,230$215,150+$89,920 (+71.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$78,430$79,020+$590 (+0.8%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

Lewiston-Auburn, ME to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Relocation FAQs

About $170,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (106.1 in Lewiston-Auburn, ME, 181.0 in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Lewiston-Auburn, ME to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ to Lewiston-Auburn, ME
Relocation: Lewiston-Auburn, ME to New York-Newark, NY-NJ Overview

Lewiston-Auburn, ME to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Lewiston-Auburn, ME to New York-Newark, NY-NJ compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ to match $100,000 in Lewiston-Auburn, ME?

About $170,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (106.1 in Lewiston-Auburn, ME, 181.0 in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ cheaper than Lewiston-Auburn, ME?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 70.5% higher in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ than in Lewiston-Auburn, ME. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.