34% of Portland residents rent housing. The Coalition considers a rental affordable if it costs no more than 30% of your income, which is the generally accepted standard. If you pay more than this, you may have difficulty coming up with the money for food and other essentials. To stay within the 30% guideline, Portland residents working 40 hours a week need to earn over $12.55 an hour to afford the average monthly rent of $653 for a one-bedroom apartment and $16.52 an hour to pay the average monthly rent of $859 for a two-bedroom apartment.
In the non-metro area of Cumberland County, the housing wage is $10.13 per hour for a one-bedroom apartment and $13.50 per hour for a two-bedroom apartment. This means most people need to commute to the city in order to make enough money to pay the rent.
The situation is even worse in southern York County and northeastern New Hampshire, where you'd have to earn $17.88 an hour to pay the average monthly rent of $930 for a two-bedroom apartment.
If you qualify for housing assistance, visit the Maine State Housing Authority for a list of subsidized housing units by county and town.
Other public housing links:
Portland Public Housing Programs
South Portland Housing Authority
For a list of rental apartments and rental management companies in Portland and southern Maine, see my Portland and Southern Maine Rental Apartments article.