Maine’s Cost of Living: A Look at 2004 vs. 2024

I thought it might be fun... and maybe a bit painful to take time travel back in the day to see just how much more us Mainers are forking over for essentials these days.

Spoiler alert: It’s way more than we’d like.

Inflation’s been a solid struggle, and while we’re getting a bit of a breather, we’re still far from the “financially carefree” zone.

So, here’s a fun comparison of how much Mainers were paying for essentials 20 years ago versus now.

I also used the US Inflation Calculator to paint a better picture of how much the general cost of living has gone up.

Residential Oil

• 2004: $1.43/gallon (Ah, those were the days. We could actually afford to drive to the grocery store.)  Source:  US Energy Information Administration
• Inflation adjusted: $2.32
• 2024: $3.42/gallon (Looks like oil's got a future in stand-up comedy with how high it's gone.) Source: maine.gov

Electricity

• 2004: 4.95 cents/kWh (Back when you could leave all your lights on and not have a heart attack when the bill came.) Source: Sun Journal
• Inflation adjusted: 8.1 cents/kWh
• 2024: 22.26 cents/kWh (Guess electricity’s getting in on the “let’s make everything more expensive” game.) Source: Energybot

Gas

• 2004: $1.85/gallon. Source: US Energy Information Administration
• Inflation adjusted: $3.08/gallon
• 2024: $3.14/gallon (could be worse... and it has been) Source: AAA

Cell Phone

• 2004: $50.44 - Source: Chegg
• Inflation adjusted: $81.99
• 2024: $144.00 (Because apparently, your phone’s sole purpose now is to drain your bank account while you scroll TikTok.) Source: CNBC

So, there you have it—the proof that nostalgia isn’t just a longing for the past, but also for the prices that came with it.