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CityLedger

Bangor vs Racine

Metro-area medians — Bangor, ME Metro Area vs Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Bangor comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Bangor and Racine cost about the same to live in, but Racine households earn about 17% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Racine.

Their widest everyday difference: Bangor has the tighter job market — 2.2% unemployment versus 5.2%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Bangor, ME
$57,518
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$59,599
real value after local prices
Racine, WI
$58,454
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$60,914
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Racine leaves you about $1,315/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Bangor
Racine
Livability (CityLedger)
46/100
45/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
96.5
96.0
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$68,912
$81,106
Median household income
$66,506
$77,830
Median rent
$1,015/mo
$1,202/mo
Median home value
$257,700
$266,700
Unemployment
2.2%
5.2%
Bachelor's degree or higher
29.3%
28.5%
Average commute
23.4 min
25.9 min
Air quality (median AQI)
33
42
Avg temperature
43°F
48°F

Choose Bangor for

  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
  • + Average commute
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Bangor profile →

Choose Racine for

  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
Full Racine profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Bangor and Racine on cost, income, size, and education.

Bangor vs Janesville→Bangor vs Jackson→Bangor vs Niles→Racine vs Chambersburg→Racine vs Warner Robins→Racine vs Burlington→

Bangor vs Racine — frequently asked

Is Bangor cheaper than Racine?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Bangor and Racine metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Bangor or Racine?
Racine has the higher median household income — $77,830 versus $66,506 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 17% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Bangor or Racine?
A paycheck stretches further in Racine. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $81,106 there versus $68,912 in Bangor.
Which has cheaper rent, Bangor or Racine?
Bangor has cheaper rent — a median of $1,015/mo versus $1,202/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).