Shaker Village · Photo: Jamie Ribisi-Braley · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, New Gloucester costs less to live in than 65% of U.S. towns
It ranks #16 of 143 in Maine for affordability. Up 1.9% in a year, 5% above the Maine typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area ($92K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Portland metro earn ($92K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.9 years of metro income, and 25% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $433Ktypical home, 5% above the Maine typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,770a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 102prices across the Portland metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 105)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$92K, Portland-area income
- 15%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 25%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Maine: 48%Census 2020–24
- 13%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in New Gloucester, in brief
Rent is easier on renters here
25% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 48% across Maine. A standard two-bedroom is 20% of the median household income. Renting ↓
New renters pay more than renters already here
HUD puts a standard two-bedroom at about $1,770 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already in New Gloucester pay a median of $1,150. Renting ↓
A median income goes further next door
At New Gloucester’s median income, the calculator’s budget of about $421K falls short here but covers the typical home in Auburn ($324K) and Poland ($393K). Can I afford it? ↓
New building is almost all single-family houses
Of the 282 homes permitted in New Gloucester’s past 10 years, 98% were single-family houses. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind New Gloucester’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, New Gloucester is more affordable than 65% of U.S. towns, #16 of 143 in Maine. Home prices pull the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Values have lagged Maine: the typical New Gloucester home is up 18.3% in five years, against 26.8% statewide (Zillow).
Up 18.3% in five years
Slower than Maine (26.8%).
Show as a table
| January | New Gloucester | Maine |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $226,000 | $205,000 |
| 2018 | $241,000 | $219,000 |
| 2019 | $252,000 | $232,000 |
| 2020 | $266,000 | $244,000 |
| 2021 | $307,000 | $285,000 |
| 2022 | $376,000 | $333,000 |
| 2023 | $399,000 | $364,000 |
| 2024 | $423,000 | $395,000 |
| 2025 | $429,000 | $408,000 |
| 2026 | $430,000 | $409,000 |
| September 2026 | $433,000 | $412,000 |
A typical New Gloucester home worth $222K in October 2016 is worth about $433K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 3.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to New Gloucester’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $78K short of a typical New Gloucester home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,770 a month here, $850 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, New Gloucester’s typical property tax (0.96% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,770
Renters already here pay a median of $1,150, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Lewiston-Auburn, ME MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
29 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 29 new homes in New Gloucester in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $8.7 million to build. That's 5 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of Maine as a whole. Over the past 10 years, New Gloucester has permitted 282 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, New Gloucester gained 134 residents while 190 new homes were permitted: about 0.7 new residents per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. Across Maine: 0.9 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 19 | 15 | 4 | $5.8 million |
| 2025 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $8.7 million |
| 2024 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $12.3 million |
| 2023 | 32 | 26 | 6 | $7.7 million |
| 2022 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $4.6 million |
| 2021 | 36 | 36 | 0 | $9.7 million |
| 2020 | 27 | 27 | 0 | $7.2 million |
| 2019 | 30 | 30 | 0 | $8.9 million |
| 2018 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $5.7 million |
| 2017 | 34 | 34 | 0 | $7.8 million |
| 2016 | 22 | 22 | 0 | $4.3 million |
| 2015 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $3.6 million |
| 2014 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| 2013 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2012 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2011 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2010 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2009 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2008 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $5.1 million |
| 2007 | 39 | 39 | 0 | $7.5 million |
| 2006 | 30 | 30 | 0 | $6 million |
| 2005 | 66 | 64 | 2 | $10.3 million |
| 2004 | 47 | 43 | 4 | $6.3 million |
| 2003 | 56 | 46 | 10 | $7.2 million |
| 2002 | 63 | 63 | 0 | $7.2 million |
| 2001 | 48 | 48 | 0 | $5.3 million |
| 2000 | 48 | 48 | 0 | $5.3 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $3,417 (Maine: $3,036), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.96% a year, against 1.02% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near New Gloucester
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area, or Maine. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 102 | ME 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 97 | ME 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 135 | ME 135 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 103 | ME 103 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
New Gloucester vs. its neighbors
Of the 7 towns here with a Zillow value, New Gloucester has the 3rd-lowest.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Gloucester | B | $433K | $357K | 0.96% | $1,770 |
| Poland | C | $393K | $284K | 0.98% | $1,810 |
| Gray | C | $520K | $364K | 1.01% | $1,960 |
| Raymond | B+ | $500K | $396K | 0.79% | $2,040 |
| Pownal | C+ | $585K | $437K | 1.19% | $2,070 |
| Auburn | C− | $324K | $282K | 1.31% | $1,560 |
| Durham | C | $444K | $322K | 1.17% | $1,920 |
Questions about the cost of living in New Gloucester
Is New Gloucester expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, New Gloucester costs less than 65% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living, #16 of 143 in Maine. The typical home costs 3.9 years of the median household income of the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area ($92K).
How much does a house cost in New Gloucester?
About $433K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.9% in a year. The Maine typical home is $412K.
What salary do you need to live in New Gloucester?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $112,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,620 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $71,000.
How much is rent in New Gloucester?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,770 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,150 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in New Gloucester?
The median bill is $3,417 a year, 0.96% of the median home value (Maine: $3,036, 1.02%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in New Gloucester going up?
Yes: up 1.9% in the past year and 18.3% in five years, against 26.8% across Maine (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What New Gloucester buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.