Cranston vs Portland
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $378,300 in Cranston and $489,600 in Portland.
- Households earn more in Cranston ($90,206 vs $79,540 median).
- Cranston has the warmer winter: January highs of 38°F vs 32°F.
- Portland gets far more snow: 69 inches a year vs 37.
- Commutes are shorter in Portland (19 vs 24 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Cranston, RI | Portland, ME | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 84,647 | 69,911 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.1% | +2.2% |
| People per square mile | 2,986 | 3,246 |
| Median age | 39.6 | 37.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36% | 60% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $90,206 | $79,540 |
| Median home value | $378,300 | $489,600 |
| Home value to income | 4.2× | 6.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,375 | $1,577 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 101.8 | 101.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 103.9 | 105.2 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $76,300 | $76,400 |
| Homeowners | 68% | 47% |
| Top state income tax | 5.99% | 7.15% |
| Combined sales tax | 7% | 5.5% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.3 | 19.4 |
| Work from home | 13% | 25% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.1% | 4.2% |
| Poverty rate | 10.2% | 11.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 38° / 22° | 32° / 16° |
| July high / low | 84° / 65° | 80° / 61° |
| Precipitation per year | 48 in | 48 in |
| Snowfall per year | 37 in | 69 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 12 | 5 |
| Nights below freezing | 109 | 144 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.7 | 77.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 70% | 74% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.7% | +4.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +51.9% | +55.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Cranston: May to October. Portland: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Cranston weather by month and Portland weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $76,300 in Cranston and $76,400 in Portland. Moving from Cranston to Portland, you would need about $75,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Cranston and Portland
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Cranston and Portland.
Which would you pick?
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