Portland, Maine single-family rentals lease in nine days

Portland, Maine single-family rentals leased in 9 days in Q3 2026, 3-bedroom rents rose to $2,850, and buying cost $1,028 more per month than renting.

Portland, Maine single-family rentals lease in nine days
Written by
Rental Beast
Published

Q3 2026 at a glance

Single-family rentals in greater Portland leased in a median 9 days this quarter, while concessions ticked up to 32.6% and 3-bedroom rents rose to $2,850.
Median days on market
16
No change vs. Q2
Listings with concessions
32.6%
Up from 30.2% in Q2
Median 3-bedroom rent
$2,850
+2.8% year over year
Cost to buy vs. rent
+$1,028
Per month, up $193 vs. Q2

Median rent by unit type

The 3-bedroom median rose 1.8% quarter over quarter to $2,850, while 1-bedroom rents slipped 1.5% to $2,090 but remain 4.8% above a year ago.

Median rent by property type
Q1 2025 to Q3 2026. Hover a quarter for details
$1,800 $2,000 $2,200 $2,400 $2,600 $2,800 1Q25 2Q25 3Q25 4Q25 1Q26 2Q26 3Q26 3BD $2,850 SF $2,600 2BD $2,300 MF $2,195 1BD $2,090
1BD
$2,090
+4.8% YoY, -1.5% QoQ
2BD
$2,300
-2.2% YoY, +0.1% QoQ
3BD
$2,850
+2.8% YoY, +1.8% QoQ
SF
$2,600
+4.0% YoY, 0.0% QoQ
MF
$2,195
-0.2% YoY, -0.8% QoQ
Rental Beast

Concessions and days on market

Concessions rose to 32.6% from 30.2% in Q2, and while overall days on market held at 16, single-family rentals leased 42% faster at a median of 9 days.

Listings offering a concession
32.6%
Up from 30.2% last quarter, up 76.7% YoY
National median: 39.8%
Median days on market
All
16
0.0%
SF
9
-41.9%
MF
18
+12.5%
Change is quarter over quarter. National median: All 19 / SF 17 / MF 20
Rental Beast

Property manager sentiment

All managers surveyed expect rents to hold steady, and the share reporting fewer applicants dropped to 10% from 31% in Q2.

Do you expect rent prices to increase, decrease, or remain the same over the next 6 months?
Remain the same 100%
Increase (0%) Decrease (0%) Remain the same
Q2 2026: 0% increase, 0% decrease, 100% remain the same
Are you currently getting more, fewer, or about the same applicants for your available rentals?
10%
86%
Fewer More (5%) About the same
Q2 2026: 31% fewer, 6% more, 63% about the same
Survey responses from Maine.
Rental Beast

Rent vs. buy: the gap widens

Buying costs $1,028 more per month than renting, up $193 from Q2 and the widest gap in the six quarters tracked.

Monthly cost to rent
$2,850
Monthly cost to buy
$3,878
Difference
+$1,028
more per month to buy, up from $835 in Q2
Rent vs. buy gap by quarter
$934
$780
$530
$687
$835
$1,028
2Q25
3Q25
4Q25
1Q26
2Q26
3Q26
Rent is the median 3-bedroom rent. Buy uses the median list price of $650,000 (August 2026), 20% down, 7.2% rate, taxes and insurance.Rental Beast

Check out the Q3 2026 nationwide report

Download the full national analysis including rent-vs-buy and sentiment data across every tracked metro: Q3 2026 National Rental Market Report

Additional reports are available for the following markets:

‍

Methodology

Rental data used in this report are sourced and catalogued directly by Rental Beast, unless otherwise noted. Rental Beast listing data covers a range of rental property types and owner types operating within the long-term rental market (generally considered to be leases with a minimum of three months). Single-family rentals are considered to be properties with 4 or fewer units. Multifamily is more than 4 doors. Unless otherwise noted, our analysis uses the Portland-South Portland, ME metropolitan statistical area (MSA) as the geographical unit.

Rents are calculated based on these listings. Days on market (DOM) and concession analysis are based on these listings, with some data sources excluded due to DOM and concession info being unavailable or deemed to be unreliable. Concessions are incentives that entice renters to sign a lease (e.g., one month free, a gift card, etc.). Our sentiment survey is based on phone conversations during Q3 2026 with rental building and community managers and property managers. Questions and answer choices:

  • Q1. Do you expect rent prices to increase, remain the same or decrease over the next 6 months? [Possible answers: Remain the same, increase, decrease]
  • Q2. Do you believe you are currently getting more, about the same or fewer applicants for your available rentals? [Possible answers: About the same, more, fewer]

DISCLAIMER. This report attempts to provide reliable and useful information; however, there is no guarantee that the information or other content in this document is accurate, current or suitable for any particular purpose. All content is subject to change without notice. All content is provided on an “as is” basis, with no warranties of any kind whatsoever. Rental data used in this report are sourced and catalogued directly by Rental Beast, unless otherwise noted. Our analysis uses MSA as the geographical unit and is not reflective of all-U.S. measures. Information from this document may be used with proper attribution.

©2026 by Rental Beast

Looking to close more deals?
Get a walkthrough of Renta Beast Pro with a member of our team.
Book a demo
In this article