CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

43.14° N · 70.79° W · GEOID 2370660

South Eliot

York County, Maine · part of the Portland, ME metro

Limited data population under 5,000

MaineSouth Eliot, MESouth EliotSouth Eliot

The short answer

South Eliot is home to 4,203 people. Median household income is $99,299 a year and median rent is $2,155 a month, 26.0% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $475,600, about 4.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$2,155
58% above the median place
Median household income
$99,299
24% above the median place
Median home value
$475,600
49% above the median place
Unemployment
6.3%
28% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about South Eliot

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 18.2% a year while household income rose 11.3%, so rent outran pay by more than in 94% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 33 Maine places.
  • The median resident is 55.5 years old, older than in 96% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 33 Maine places.
  • Median rent is $2,155 a month, higher than in 87% of places its size. It is the highest of 33 Maine places.
  • 64% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 86% of places its size. It is the highest of 32 Maine places.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs only about $208 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 83% of places its size. It is the 3rd-lowest of 33 Maine places.
01

Moving to South Eliot

York County gains about 8.6 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in10,162
Moved out8,573
Net+1,589

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Maine, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within MaineOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$84K
Leavers$70K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of York County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
5.3% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.1% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into York County report $84,000 a year in income on average; those leaving, $69,900, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$86,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,155 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,363 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $475,600.
Getting to work
21 minutes each way on average; 14.2% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
North Palm Beach, FL matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people6
8.6
above the median place (median -0.6)
Moved from another state1
3.1%
57% above the median place
Income of households moving in6
$83,981
19% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSouth EliotAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure5.3%8% below
Moved from another state1County figure3.1%57% above
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure8.6above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$83,98119% above
Income of households moving out6County figure$69,9101% below
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 64.3%, 27% above the median place.

South Eliot26.0%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$86,200
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
26.0%
27% above the median place
Home price to income
4.8x
26% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
26%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$72,300
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in South Eliot, $2,155 a month, and local prices for everything else (101.2 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like South Eliot, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
McGregor, FL20.2% vs 26.0%$13,000Compare
Hull, MA21.6% vs 26.0%$17,900Compare
Yarmouth Port, MA20.9% vs 26.0%$14,700Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in South Eliot.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to South Eliot? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
64.3%
27% above the median place
Homeownership1
80.0%
20% above the median place
Median home value1
$475,600
49% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureSouth EliotAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$2,15558% above
Rent to income126.0%27% above
Property tax rate10.9%2% above
Home price to income14.8x26% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure101.91% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,79211% above
Property tax paid (median)1$4,44236% above
Median home value1$475,60049% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure5.7%78% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure66.6%29% above
Homeownership180.0%20% above
Renters paying 30%+164.3%27% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,36326% above
Vacant homes1County figure20.6%191% above
Median year built119730% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$62,377
56% above the median place
Mean commute1
21 min
17% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Unemployment6.3% +28%
Median household income$99,299 +24%
Works from home14.2% +14%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSouth EliotAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$99,29924% above
Income per person1$62,37756% above
Unemployment16.3%28% above
Average annual pay5County figure$64,1663% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure3.8%3% above
Jobs5County figure79,60347% below
Poverty rate1County figure7.7%29% below
Mean commute121 min17% below
Works from home114.2%14% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 99.7%, 8% above the median place.

High school or higher1
99.7%
8% above the median place
Median age1
55.5
42% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
96.5%
5% above the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureSouth EliotAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population14,2036646th largest
Median age155.542% above
Bachelor's or higher149.9%56% above
High school or higher199.7%8% above
Household size12.38% below
Born abroad1County figure4.0%55% below
No health insurance1County figure4.8%25% below
Homes with broadband196.5%5% above
05

Life in South Eliot

188 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 5 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents23.8 2.3×
Playgrounds per 10k42.8 4.6×
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k9.5 −15%
Libraries per 10k4.8 5.5×
Named paths and bike trails2 km +5%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.1 −33%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars27.1 +30%
Shops37.9 +25%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.8 +41%
Doctors' offices and clinics15.5 −23%
Child care centers4.7 2.0×

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Child care centers per 10k7
4.7
104% above the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k7
27.1
30% above the median place
Students per teacher10
11.7
24% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureSouth EliotAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure61above (median 9)
Public school students10County figure24,364398% above
Students per teacher10County figure11.724% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure27.130% above
Shops per 10k7County figure37.925% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure5.841% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure15.523% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure4.7104% above
Parks per 10k823.8134% above
Playgrounds per 10k842.8355% above
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k89.515% below
Libraries per 10k84.8above (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails82.15% above
Transit stops per sq mi80.133% below
National Register listings9County figure188above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Good air days is 96.7%, 41% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached South Eliot. Larger places are fetched first.

Good air days13
96.7%
41% above the median place
Median air quality index13
34
21% below the median place
January average low11
13°F
50% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureSouth EliotAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure81°F7% below
January average low11County figure13°F50% below
Average temperature11County figure46°F16% below
Annual precipitation11County figure49.0 in12% above
Natural hazard risk12County figure81.512% below
Hurricane risk12County figure91.530% above
Tornado risk12County figure46.543% below
Wildfire risk12County figure56.38% below
Heat wave risk12County figure52.841% below
Median air quality index13County figure3421% below
Good air days13County figure96.7%41% above
08

South Eliot in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 27% of the median income in 2030, up from 26% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$2,155/mo (2024)$2,960/mo$2,430 to $3,610/mo+5.4%
Median household income$99,299 (2024)$129,500$109,500 to $153,000+4.5%
Median home value$475,600 (2024)$677,000$491,000 to $933,000+6.1%

The median home would be worth 5.2 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.8 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like South Eliot

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
North Palm Beach, FL$2,010$90,049Compare
South Patrick Shores, FL$2,054$85,660Compare
McGregor, FL$1,762$104,788Compare
Alta Sierra, CA$2,254$105,603Compare
Alta Sierra, CAMcGregor, FLSouth Patrick Shores, FLNorth Palm Beach, FLSouth Eliot, MESouth EliotSouth Patrick ShoresMcGregorAlta SierraSouth EliotSouth Patrick ShoresMcGregorAlta Sierra

Common questions

Is South Eliot a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 18.2% a year while household income rose 11.3%, so rent outran pay by more than in 94% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 33 Maine places. The median resident is 55.5 years old, older than in 96% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 33 Maine places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is South Eliot expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 26.0% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $475,600.

What salary do you need to live in South Eliot?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $86,200 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to South Eliot?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are North Palm Beach, FL, South Patrick Shores, FL, McGregor, FL and Alta Sierra, CA.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares South Eliot with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for South Eliot itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/south-eliot-maine

Citytistics. “South Eliot, Maine.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/south-eliot-maine/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.