What is the cost of living in Lewiston-Auburn?

Lewiston-Auburn has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 94.7, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 69.0, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,586/month.

What is the median salary in Lewiston-Auburn?

The median salary in Lewiston-Auburn is $62,617 annually (mean: $65,636). Top occupations include Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons.

How safe is Lewiston-Auburn?

The violent crime rate in the Lewiston-Auburn area is 102 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1149 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Lewiston-Auburn?

The state of ME has 570 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 11.1:1. Charter schools make up 2.3% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Lewiston-Auburn?

Infant center-based childcare in the Lewiston-Auburn area averages $11,325 per year. Preschool averages $9,566/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Lewiston-Auburn a good place to relocate?

Lewiston-Auburn has a Life Score of 48.2/100 (D), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Lewiston-Auburn sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Lewiston-Auburn ranks #20 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Lewiston-Auburn, ME

LiveAbility 63.9/100 places Lewiston-Auburn #20 of 387 (top third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

94.7
Cost index (US=100): $1,586
2BR rent / mo: $62,617
Median salary: 63.9
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Lewiston-Auburn ranks #20 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (63.9/100), with its strongest marks in schools and air quality.

#20
of 387 US metros · Excellent: 1,405,012
metro-area population: 102
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 570
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: climate (19/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Lewiston-Auburn ranks #20 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 94.7 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,586/mo, median salary $62,617; LiveAbility Score 63.9/100, strongest in schools and air quality.

Signature: LiveAbility 63.9/100 places Lewiston-Auburn #20 of 387 (top third of scored metros).

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 94.7 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,586/mo.

LiveAbility 63.9/100 puts Lewiston-Auburn in the top third (#20 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Lewiston-Auburn area is 41,990.

Lewiston-Auburn vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

64 Top 5% higher than 95% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Lewiston-Auburn housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Lewiston-Auburn MSA; housing RPP 69.0 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,586/mo.

Studio

$1,140

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,218

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,586

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,050

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,305

/month

Lewiston-Auburn wages and employment

Lewiston-Auburn posts 41,990 total employment with median salary $62,617.

Median Salary

$62,617

Mean Salary

$65,636

Total Employment

41,990

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$38,240
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$34,720
Retail Salespersons	$36,540
Registered Nurses	$85,870
Stockers and Order Fillers	$40,680

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Lewiston-Auburn area from NCES.

Schools

570

Enrollment

166,683

Student:Teacher

11.1:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Lewiston-Auburn area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$11,325

per year

Toddler (Center)

$10,451

per year

Preschool (Center)

$9,566

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Lewiston-Auburn's composite Life Score is 48.2/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

44/100

Below average

Wages

57/100

Above average

Rent

26/100

Weak

Crime

92/100

Elite

Schools

0/100

Bottom decile

Childcare

37/100

Below average

Environment

66/100

Strong

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Lewiston-Auburn ranks #20 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 63.9/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Schools (100/100)

Schools

100
Air quality

95
Low hazard

95
Safety

92
Job market

57
Cost of living

44
Housing

26
Climate

19

What this shows Lewiston-Auburn's strongest dimensions are schools and air quality; its weakest among scored dims is climate at 19/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Lewiston-Auburn to

Ithaca Jackson Jackson Jackson Jacksonville Jacksonville

Metros near Lewiston-Auburn on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Lewiston-Auburn on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Lewiston-Auburn cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Lewiston-Auburn wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Lewiston-Auburn?

Lewiston-Auburn runs a $62,617 median salary at a 94.7 cost index, ranking #20 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Lewiston-Auburn's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Lewiston-Auburn head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Lewiston-Auburn
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.