Compare legal limits, fees and the true cost of small loans in your state before you talk to any lender. Compare legal limits, fees and the true cost of small loans in your state.
Pawn Shops vs Payday Loans in Portland, ME
2 pawn shops in and around Portland — 3.0 per 100,000 residents, compared with 2.8 across Maine. Call ahead to ask what they're buying and lending on today: inventory needs change weekly. Portland ranks #1 of 1 Maine cities with pawn shops by shops per resident.
- Pawn shops
- 2
- Pawn shops per 100k
- 3.0
- Maine: 2.8
- Big-chain shops
- 0
- Payday & loan stores
- 0
- Population
- 67,663
Pawn shops in Portland: addresses and phone numbers
| Pawn shop | Address | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Trading & Pawn | 262 St John St Portland, ME 04102 | (207) 541-9046 | coastaltradingandpawnportland.com |
| Coastal Trading and Pawn | 543 Forest Ave Portland, ME 04101 | (207) 773-0338 | coastaltradingandpawn.com |
Pawn shops vs payday loan stores in Portland
Portland has 2 pawn shops, and we found no storefront payday loan chains.
Pawn shops
2
3.0 per 100k residents
Payday & loan stores
0
Borrowing $500 for one month: payday vs pawn vs credit union
| Option | How it works | Cost for one month |
|---|---|---|
| Payday loan (not legal in Maine) | $75.00 fee every 2 weeks, renewed once | $150.00 |
| Pawn loan (example: 20% a month) | You leave an item worth more than the loan; repay to get it back | $100.00 |
| Credit union PAL (28% APR + $20 fee) | Repaid in installments; membership required | $31.67 |
- Payday cost, share of monthly household income in Portland
- 2.3%
- Pawn cost, share of monthly household income in Portland
- 1.5%
- A $400 emergency equals
- 1.8 days of income
Payday: a typical fee of $75 on a $500 loan for 2 weeks, paid twice for a one-month loan (Maine payday rules are not set in dollars or payday loans are not allowed). Pawn: an example rate of 20% a month; pawn fees and interest are set by Maine law and vary by shop — ask for the total in writing. PAL: payday alternative loan from a federal credit union, capped at 28% APR plus an application fee of up to $20.
Pawn loan vs payday loan: the key differences
| Pawn loan | Payday loan in ME | |
|---|---|---|
| What you need | An item of value (jewelry, gold, electronics, tools, firearms) and an ID | A bank account, proof of income and an ID |
| Credit check | None | Usually none |
| How much you get | A fraction of the item's resale value | Based on your income, up to the state limit |
| If you can't repay | The shop keeps the item; no collections and no credit damage | Fees pile up with renewals; the debt can go to collections |
| Bank account access | None | Lender can debit your account or cash your check |
| Rules in Maine | Pawnbrokers are licensed and regulated by Maine; fees, terms and holding periods are set by state law | Storefront payday loans are not allowed in Maine |
Portland at a glance
- Median household income
- $79,745
- Maine: $75,636
- Poverty rate
- 11.2%
- Maine: 10.8%
- Households under $25,000
- 15.1%
- Maine: 15.2%
- A $400 emergency equals
- 1.8 days of income
More about Portland
Pawn shop listings: © Overture Maps Foundation (CDLA-Permissive 2.0), including Foursquare OS Places and © OpenStreetMap contributors; filtered and de-duplicated by us. Population, income and poverty: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Call ahead to confirm hours and what a shop buys or lends on.