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

Discover affordable housing in South Portland where there are 13+ 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.

Mill Cove

10 Soule Street, South Portland, Maine 04106

Brick Hill Cottages

1, 5, 10. 12, 14 Red Oak Drive, South Portland, Maine 04106

Brick Hill Heights

80 Brickhill Avenue, South Portland, Maine 04106

West End Apartments

586 Westbrook Street, South Portland, Maine 04106

Brick Hill Townhouses

Townhouse Drive/Rollins Way, South Portland, Maine 04106

Cortland Court

696 Westbrook St, South Portland, Maine 04106

Sawyer Street House

388 Sawyer St, South Portland, Maine 04106

Ridgeland Gardens

101 Ridgeland Ave, South Portland, Maine 04106

Ridgeland Estates

109 Ridgeland Ave, South Portland, Maine 04106

Betsy Ross

99 Preble St, South Portland, Maine 04106

Hazard Towers

425 Broadway, South Portland, Maine 04106

St. Cyr Courts

1700 Broadway, South Portland, Maine 04106

Thornton Heights Commons

611 Main Street, South 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 South 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 South Portland, Maine Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve South 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 programs for South Portland, Maine.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing programs for South Portland, Maine.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs for South Portland, Maine.

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

How many renters live in South Portland, Maine?

The City of South Portland has 26,656 people living in 11,769 households.

There are 9,097 renters living in 4,426 renter households in this City. Renters make up 34.13 percent of the population living in South Portland.

What is the rental market like in South Portland, Maine?

There are an estimated 12,407 housing units in the South Portland area. Of these, 4,661 units are rental homes, making up 38 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in South Portland, Maine, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in South Portland?

The rental vacancy rate in South Portland is 5 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 South Portland for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in South Portland
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
258 1,085 2,160 731 161
Occupied Rental Units by Size in South Portland

A large number of apartments in South 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 South Portland are overburdened by housing costs?

Among renter households in this market, 50 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 17 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 South 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 South Portland, Maine

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in South 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 195 76 percent
One BR 882 81 percent
Two BR 526 24 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in South Portland, Maine

How many affordable rental units are in South Portland?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 499
Public Housing 250
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 91
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 6
Tracked Units by Federal Program in South Portland, Maine

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

Income Based Apartments in South Portland, Maine

South Portland features 89 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 South Portland, Maine

There are 681 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in South Portland.

Housing Choice Vouchers in South Portland, Maine

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay South Portland landlords $800 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in South Portland.

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

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.