Cost of living comparison
compared to
Montana vs. Arizona Cost of Living Summary
Montana is 9.4% more expensive than Arizona.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.4% less in Montana
- Groceries
-
pay 9.9% more in Montana
- Transportation
-
pay 5.9% less in Montana
- Housing
-
pay 9.1% less in Montana
- Childcare
-
pay 45.4% more in Montana
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 5.2% more in Montana
- Clothing
-
pay 20.4% more in Montana
The cost of childcare, clothing, groceries, and entertainment and sports in Montana are more expensive than in Arizona. Expenses including housing, transportation, and restaurants are lower in Montana.
Montana vs. Arizona Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Montana instead of Arizona, you would:
pay 0.4% less for restaurants
|
Arizona
|
Montana
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.82
|
$19.36
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.05
|
$13.71
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.68
|
$2.27
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.15
|
$1.97
|
|
Arizona vs. Montana - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.9% more for groceries
|
Arizona
|
Montana
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.52
|
$3.67
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.84
|
$7.92
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.34
|
$4.18
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$4.60
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.12
|
$5.14
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.99
|
$2.52
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.75
|
$0.79
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.67
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.84
|
$2.26
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.17
|
$0.93
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.23
|
$1.01
|
|
Arizona vs. Montana - Cost of groceries
pay 5.9% less for transportation
|
Arizona
|
Montana
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.43
|
$3.31
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$59.83
|
$39.33
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,224.50
|
$29,225.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.05
|
$17.76
|
|
Arizona vs. Montana - Cost of transportation
pay 9.1% less for housing
|
Arizona
|
Montana
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$78.92
|
$81.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,669.06
|
$1,523.61
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,430.94
|
$1,255.90
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$179.76
|
$145.23
|
|
Arizona vs. Montana - Cost of housing
pay 45.4% more for childcare
|
Arizona
|
Montana
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,065.66
|
$1,227.22
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,135.91
|
$26,566.67
|
|
Arizona vs. Montana - Cost of childcare
pay 5.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Arizona
|
Montana
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.02
|
$5.09
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.42
|
$5.06
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.62
|
$9.36
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.87
|
$58.29
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.59
|
$12.71
|
|
Arizona vs. Montana - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 20.4% more for clothing
|
Arizona
|
Montana
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.09
|
$61.43
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.16
|
$59.58
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.67
|
$91.28
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.80
|
$108.50
|
|
Arizona vs. Montana - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Montana or Arizona. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.