2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Maine

$18 an Hour in Maine — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $18/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $37,440. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Maine state income tax, your take-home pay is $14.92/hr. In Maine's medium cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Maine.

Gross Annual
$37,440
Net Annual
$31,025
Net Monthly
$2,585
Net Hourly
$14.92

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $18.00 $3.08 $14.92
Daily (8 hrs) $144.00 $24.67 $119.33
Weekly (40 hrs) $720.00 $123.36 $596.64
Biweekly $1,440.00 $246.72 $1,193.28
Monthly $3,120.00 $534.56 $2,585.44
Annual $37,440 $6,415 $31,025

Full Tax Breakdown — Maine, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $18/hr × 2,080 hrs $37,440
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $21,340
Federal Income Tax 6.2% −$2,312.80
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$2,321.28
Medicare (1.45%) −$542.88
Maine Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Maine State Income Tax 3.3% −$1,237.72
Total Tax 17.1% effective −$6,414.68
Net Take-Home $31,025

How Does Maine Compare?

See how $18/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $671.98 $2,633/mo $31,591 Florida None $2,689/mo $32,263 New York $1,292.09 $2,581/mo $30,971 Texas None $2,689/mo $32,263 Washington None $2,689/mo $32,263
Open Full Calculator for Maine — $18/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$18/hr = $37,440/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$37,440 salary in Maine — full breakdown $37,440 after tax in Maine $37,440 salary to hourly Maine paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in Maine

$15/hr in Maine$16/hr in Maine$17/hr in Maine$19/hr in Maine$20/hr in Maine$21/hr in Maine

Same Rate, Other States

$18/hr in Alabama$18/hr in Alaska$18/hr in Arizona$18/hr in Arkansas$18/hr in California$18/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in Maine

✗ Difficult — $18/hr falls short in Maine
  • Avg 1BR rent in Portland: $1,300/mo — over the 30% rule (42% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Maine: $42,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $31,025 ($10,975 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$18/hr

Working at $18/hr in Maine

This is a livable income in Maine outside Portland's premium neighborhoods. Healthcare and tourism both create employment at this level. Maine's progressive tax structure means the effective state rate at mid-income is around 5–6%.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 88 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Portland (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.2x Maine's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Maine is 17.1% -- federal income tax accounts for 6.2%, FICA 7.7%, and Maine state tax 3.3%.

Maine's economy is driven by tourism, fishing, forestry, healthcare, and a growing remote-work population. Portland has emerged as a foodie and creative economy hub. The state struggles with an aging population and workforce shortages in many sectors.

Maine has a progressive income tax with a top rate of 7.15%. The state mirrors the federal standard deduction. Maine also has significant property taxes, especially in coastal areas.

Maine's minimum wage is $14.65/hr (2026), indexed to inflation.

Monthly Budget on $18/hr in Maine

Based on $2,585/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Maine's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,300 $15,600 50.3%
Food (groceries + dining) $310 $3,720 12.0%
Transportation $259 $3,108 10.0%
Utilities $155 $1,860 6.0%
Healthcare $129 $1,548 5.0%
Entertainment $129 $1,548 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $259 $3,108 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $44 $528 1.7%

Overtime Pay — $18/hr in Maine

At time-and-a-half ($27.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Maine. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~19.3%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $135 $109 $5,450
10 hrs/week $270 $218 $10,900
20 hrs/week $540 $436 $21,800

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $18/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $14.92 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 2.8 hrs 3.4 hrs
Week of groceries $120 6.7 hrs 8.1 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 44.4 hrs 53.6 hrs
1 month rent (Portland) $1,300 72.3 hrs 87.2 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 555.6 hrs 670.5 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 2666.7 hrs 3218.1 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

18 an hour -- is it a good wage in Maine?

18/hr in Maine gives you $31,025/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in Maine. Avg 1BR rent in Portland: $1,300/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 18 an hour after taxes in Maine?

18/hr in Maine = $31,025/year or $2,585/month net. Effective rate: 17.1%.

How does 18/hr go further -- Maine or Texas?

18/hr in Maine has similar purchasing power to ~18/hr in Texas.

What does 18/hr look like as a monthly budget in Maine?

On $2,585/month in Maine: rent $1,300, food $310, transport $259, savings $259, surplus ~$44.

How much does overtime add at 18/hr in Maine?

At 1.5x (27.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$5,450/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$10,900/year.