Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Carolina vs. Montana Cost of Living Summary
North Carolina is 1.4% cheaper than Montana.
- Restaurants
-
pay 10.7% less in North Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 12.2% more in North Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 17.9% more in North Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 5.4% less in North Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 2.2% less in North Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 7.2% less in North Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 14.3% less in North Carolina
The cost of transportation and groceries in North Carolina are more expensive than in Montana. Expenses including clothing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, housing, and childcare are lower in North Carolina.
North Carolina vs. Montana Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Carolina instead of Montana, you would:
pay 10.7% less for restaurants
|
Montana
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.36
|
$17.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.71
|
$10.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.27
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.97
|
$1.82
|
|
Montana vs. North Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.2% more for groceries
|
Montana
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.67
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.92
|
$6.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.18
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.60
|
$3.98
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.14
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.52
|
$2.47
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.79
|
$0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.26
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.93
|
$1.74
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.01
|
$1.80
|
|
Montana vs. North Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 17.9% more for transportation
|
Montana
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.31
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$39.33
|
$60.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,225.00
|
$33,588.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.76
|
$19.99
|
|
Montana vs. North Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 5.4% less for housing
|
Montana
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$81.66
|
$72.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,523.61
|
$1,488.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,255.90
|
$1,261.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$145.23
|
$132.31
|
|
Montana vs. North Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 2.2% less for childcare
|
Montana
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,227.22
|
$1,261.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$26,566.67
|
$24,633.15
|
|
Montana vs. North Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 7.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Montana
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.09
|
$5.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.06
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.36
|
$7.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.29
|
$48.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$12.98
|
|
Montana vs. North Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 14.3% less for clothing
|
Montana
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.43
|
$49.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$59.58
|
$37.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.28
|
$88.37
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$108.50
|
$111.01
|
|
Montana vs. North Carolina - 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
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