Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Portland, ME

Discover affordable housing in Portland where there are 58+ housing opportunities based on income and household needs like accessible units for seniors or persons with disabilities. Find and apply to these low income apartments now.

Island View Apartments

151 North Street, Portland, Maine 04101

Deering Place

500 Cumberland Avenue, Portland, Maine 04101

Thomas Heights

134 Washington Ave, Portland, Maine 04101

Motherhouse

605 Stevens Avenue, Portland, Maine 04103

Carleton Street Apartments

17 Carleton Street, Portland, Maine 04102

Huston Commons

72 Bishop St, Portland, Maine 04103

Northfield Green Apartments

147 Allen Avenue, Portland, Maine 04103

Bayside Anchor

81 E Oxford St, Portland, Maine 04101

Townhouses at Ocean East ll

10 Schooner Rd, Portland, Maine 04106

Townhouses at Ocean East l

10 Sanctuary Lane, Portland, Maine 04103

Washington Gardens

577 Washington Ave, Portland, Maine 04103

Bayside East, BaysideTerrace, Kennedy Park

58 Boyd Street, Portland, Maine 04101

Danforth Heights

48 Salem Street, Portland, Maine 04102

Fore River Apartments

63 Frederic Street, Portland, Maine 04102

Bayside East

47 Smith Street, Portland, Maine 04101

Pearl Place II

184 Pearl St, Portland, Maine 04101

Oak Street Lofts

72 Oak Street, Portland, Maine 04101

Butler Payson

77 Pine Street/218 State Street, Portland, Maine 04101

Solterra

58 Boyd Street, Portland, Maine 04101

Logan Place

52 Frederick Road, Portland, Maine 04106

calendar_today Opened: Apr 1
Open Until Further Notice

Reported On February 23rd, 2024 by Nathan Brunet

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Portland, Maine
$36.86/hour
$22.71 (+160%) more than Maine minimum wage and $29.61 (+408%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Portland, Maine Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Portland, Maine?

Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.

Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing, Homeownership Voucher, Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV), Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), Moderate Rehabilitation programs for Portland, Maine.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing programs for Portland, Maine.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs for Portland, Maine.

Go to the Maine Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Portland.

How many renters live in Portland, Maine?

The City of Portland has 68,420 people living in 35,441 households.

There are 34,858 renters living in 20,485 renter households in this City. Renters make up 50.95 percent of the population living in Portland.

What is the rental market like in Portland, Maine?

There are an estimated 35,585 housing units in the Portland area. Of these, 18,415 units are rental homes, making up 52 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Portland, Maine, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Portland?

The rental vacancy rate in Portland is 4 percent. This is a lower than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are low there are fewer available units. Rents tend to be higher as more people compete for scarce housing.

How many rental units are in Portland for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Portland
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
1,740 7,230 5,928 2,094 479
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Portland

A large number of apartments in Portland have two or fewer bedrooms. Seniors and young professionals especially may have more success finding an apartment that meets their needs.

How many renter households in Portland are overburdened by housing costs?

Among renter households in this market, 47 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 22 percent of households are extremely rent overburdened. When renters pay too much for their housing, it leaves little money for other necessities like food, clothes, or medicine.

The federal government says that renters are cost-burdened if they pay more than a third of their monthly income for rent and utilities.

How Much Is Rent in Portland

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,319 to $2,742. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $1,319
One BR $1,512
Two BR $1,946
Three BR $2,418
Four BR $2,742
2024 Fair Market Rents in Portland, Maine

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Portland?

Renters with a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher must select a home that is at or below the area’s Fair Market Rent. Markets with a large share of units above FMR tend to have longer search times to find a qualified unit, while those with a large share of units below FMR tend to have more choices and shorter search times. The share below FMR can vary by size of unit, as shown in the table below.

These are the approximate number of units renting below the FMR in this market:

Unit Size Count of Units Below FMR Percentage of Total Units Below FMR
Studio 1,310 75 percent
One BR 5,354 74 percent
Two BR 2,443 41 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Portland, Maine

How many affordable rental units are in Portland?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Portland, Maine including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 2,160
Public Housing 708
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 1,159
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 70
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 22
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Portland, Maine

Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.

Income Based Apartments in Portland, Maine

Portland features 1,537 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.

Low Rent Apartments in Portland, Maine

There are 1,946 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Portland.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Portland, Maine

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Portland landlords $900 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Portland.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Portland, Maine for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,751 and $2,141.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.