Price History
Median Home Price
Median Rent
Stored observations from 2016-07-31 to 2026-06-29. Source: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI. Missing rents are shown as gaps.
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Purchase
Monthly Cash Flow
* Based on metro-wide median values. 35% expenses include taxes, insurance, maintenance, vacancy, and property management. Individual counties and properties vary significantly.
Score Breakdown
Based on 5.14% rent-to-price ratio. Higher ratios indicate stronger cash flow potential.
Based on 1.0% YoY price growth. Moderate growth (3-8%) scores highest.
Based on 0.0% population growth. Growing areas indicate economic stability.
Based on price relative to estimated local incomes.
Scores are calculated using real Zillow metro-level home value and rent data, Census population data, and economic indicators. The weighted average produces the overall investment score. This metro score represents area-wide averages; individual counties may vary significantly.
Investment Outlook
Strengths
- +Low unemployment (0.0%)
Challenges
- -Below-average rent-to-price ratio (5.14%)
- -Negative cash flow at typical financing (-$1,333/mo)
- -Negative leverage (cap rate 3.3% < mortgage rate 6.9%)
- -High price-to-income ratio makes financing challenging
Counties in Portland, ME
Section 8 in Portland, ME: payment standards by ZIP, PHA waitlist status, and voucher counts are on VoucherMatch, the same HUD dataset with the tenant demand side attached.
Compare to Similar Metros
| Metro Area | Verdict | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Palestine, TX Palestine, TX | 66 | $218,792 | $1,377 | 7.55% | Buy | View | |
Mount Pleasant, MI Mount Pleasant, MI | 66 | $230,989 | $1,023 | 5.31% | Buy | View | |
Rio Grande City, TX Rio Grande City, TX | 66 | $145,773 | Est. | Buy | View | ||
Palatka, FL Palatka, FL | 66 | $220,763 | $1,315 | 7.15% | Buy | View | |
Evanston, WY Evanston, WY | 66 | $333,754 | Est. | Buy | View | ||
Current Portland, ME | 46 | $542,063 | $2,320 | 5.14% | Hold |
Rent vs buy in this metro
The Bottom Line
The Portland, ME metro area scores 46/100, ranking #783 of 894 US metros (top 87%). The 5.14% rent-to-price ratio may require targeting specific counties or creative strategies for positive cash flow. Current metro-wide averages make traditional buy-and-hold investing challenging. Consider house hacking, value-add strategies, or drilling down to specific counties.