City comparison
New York, NY is about 275 miles (450 km) from Portland, ME in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 350 miles, or about 5 h 45 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from New York, NY to Portland, ME takes about 34 min, covering roughly 275 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
New York has a population of 8,622,467, vs 68,280 in Portland — about 126.3× larger by population. By land area, New York covers about 300 sq mi vs 22 sq mi for Portland.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | New York | Portland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,714/mo | $1,377/mo | 24.5% higher in New York |
| Median home value | $732,100 | $411,600 | 77.9% higher in New York |
| Median household income | $76,607 | $71,498 | 7.1% higher in New York |
| Groceries index | 109.6 | 97.5 | 12.4% higher in New York |
| Utilities index | 128.8 | 131.4 | 2.0% higher in Portland |
| Transportation index | 105.4 | 102.5 | 2.8% higher in New York |
| Healthcare index | 105.3 | 103.3 | 1.9% higher in New York |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in New York, you'd need $83,837 in Portland to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Portland, ME is about 16.2% cheaper overall than New York, NY, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 40% higher in New York than in Portland. If you earn $80,000 in New York, you'd need about $67,070 in Portland to keep the same standard of living.