Cost of Living in Little Falls, Maine

Little Falls is a Census-designated place in Cumberland County, Maine, with a population of 982. The total cost of housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, taxes, and other necessities for a single adult in Little Falls is $43,372 a year — greater than the annual cost of living for Maine of $39,633 and greater than the national figure of $38,433.

Using cost of living data from the nonprofift think tank Economic Policy Institute, 24/7 Wall St. estimated the cost of living in Little Falls and over 29,000 other cities and towns in the US.

Housing Costs in Little Falls, Maine

Housing is one of the largest components of cost of living. In Little Falls, the median home value is $203,900, about the same as the national median home value of $204,900.

Renting is a sometimes lower cost alternative to homeownership. In Little Falls, some 14.60% of occupied homes are rented, less than the 36.2% national renter rate.

In addition to home value, one of the largest determinants of housing affordability is area income. While nationwide the price of a typical U.S. home is 3.4 times the $60,293 U.S. median household income, housing affordability ratios range from approximately 1.0 in the least expensive cities to more than 10.0 in the country's most expensive markets. In Little Falls, the median household income is $48,095, 4.2 times the median home value.

Transportation Costs in Little Falls, Maine

Transportation can also be a significant component of cost of living. In Little Falls, 97.10% of commuters drive to work, compared to 85.5% of commuters nationwide. An estimated 90.00% of workers commute to jobs outside of Little Falls, a larger share than the 43.7% share of commuters nationwide who live and work in different cities. The average commute in Little Falls is 31 minutes long, compared to the 26.6-minute average commute nationwide. Taking into account the cost of gas, as well as public transit and car maintenance, the EPI estimates that a single person in Little Falls spends $10,311 a year on transportation, more than the national average of $9,760.

Health Care Costs in Little Falls, Maine

Out-of-pocket health care costs and insurance premiums — assuming at least a basic level of health insurance coverage — are closely in line with the national average in Little Falls but below what they are across Maine as a whole.

For a single adult living in the area, average health care costs come out to $4,236 per year, compared to an average of $4,467 across Maine and $4,266 nationwide.

Child care Costs in Little Falls, Maine

For families with children, child care adds thousands of dollars to overall annual spending. In Little Falls, the average annual cost of child care for two children — one 4 year old and one 8 year old — is $14,949, about $2,100 more than the comparable average of $12,824 across all of Maine. Meanwhile, across the U.S. as a whole, childcare expenses for two children averages $15,853 per year.

Food Costs in Little Falls, Maine

Food is another every day expense that has a significant impact on overall cost of living. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the cost of food varies from city to city and town to town.

In Little Falls, a single adult spends an average of $3,753 on food annually, and a family of four spends $10,837 on average. For context, average annual food expenditure across Maine and the U.S., respectively, are $3,653 and $3,240 for a single adult, and $10,551 and $9,354 for a family of four. These estimates are calculated for a nutritionally adequate diet of food purchased at a grocery store for at-home preparation.

Taxes in Little Falls, Maine

Few expenses vary as much from city to city and town to town as taxes. Accounting for state and federal income taxes, as well as Social Security contributions and Medicare payroll taxes, the average adult working in Little Falls, Maine pays $7,835 annually — a relatively high sum compared to the the statewide average of $6,964.

It is important to note that these calculations do not include other common taxes such as property, sales, and excise taxes. Accounting for these taxes, while excluding taxes levied at the federal level, Little Falls residents live in a state with a modest average tax burden. Per capita state tax collections in Maine total $3,295 per year, compared to the $3,151 average across all states.

Methodology

To estimate the cost of housing, food, transportation, health care, child care, taxes, and other necessities, 24/7 Wall St. assigned county-level Economic Policy Institute data to cities, towns, villages and Census-designated places based on boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. For places that span multiple counties, data was aggregated based on the percentage of boundary overlap.

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