Moving to Montana from Alaska
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Alaska to Montana — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Alaska to Montana, you would find that Montana is 1.0% more expensive than Alaska. A $75,000 salary in Alaska would need to be roughly $68,187 in Montana to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Helena averages 58°F vs 49°F in Juneau, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Alaska to Montana.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $68,187
To maintain the same standard of living in Montana
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 15.7% less
Groceries
pay 20.5% less
Transportation
pay 8.3% less
Housing
pay 15.2% less
Childcare
pay 81.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 21.3% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Alaska and Montana stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Montana performs significantly better than Alaska across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Montana performs significantly better than Alaska across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Montana generally does better on what about housing?, though Alaska leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Alaska generally does better on infrastructure, though Montana leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Alaska generally does better on employment & economy, though Montana leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Montana performs significantly better than Alaska across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Juneau | Helena |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 38°/28°F (3°/-2°C) | 40°/18°F (4°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 56°/42°F (13°/6°C) | 67°/41°F (19°/5°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 61°/49°F (16°/10°C) | 81°/50°F (27°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 42°/33°F (5°/0°C) | 45°/22°F (7°/-6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Juneau | Helena |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35°/26°F (1.4°/-3.2°C) | 33°/13°F (0.7°/-10.6°C) |
| Feb | 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.4°C) | 39°/17°F (3.7°/-8.4°C) |
| Mar | 41°/30°F (4.9°/-1.1°C) | 48°/24°F (9.0°/-4.3°C) |
| Apr | 49°/35°F (9.5°/1.8°C) | 58°/32°F (14.3°/0.1°C) |
| May | 57°/42°F (13.8°/5.7°C) | 67°/41°F (19.5°/4.9°C) |
| Jun | 62°/48°F (16.9°/9.1°C) | 76°/49°F (24.3°/9.2°C) |
| Jul | 63°/51°F (17.4°/10.8°C) | 86°/54°F (29.8°/12.4°C) |
| Aug | 63°/50°F (17.0°/10.1°C) | 85°/52°F (29.2°/11.2°C) |
| Sep | 57°/46°F (13.7°/7.7°C) | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.2°C) |
| Oct | 48°/39°F (9.1°/3.9°C) | 59°/33°F (14.8°/0.3°C) |
| Nov | 40°/31°F (4.3°/-0.3°C) | 43°/22°F (6.2°/-5.6°C) |
| Dec | 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.3°C) | 32°/12°F (-0.2°/-11.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Montana than Alaska?
Generally yes: Montana runs about 9% cheaper than Alaska on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Montana?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $17,047 in Montana for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Montana safe?
Montana performs significantly better than Alaska across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Montana compared to Alaska?
Montana performs significantly better than Alaska across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Montana compared to Alaska?
The average high temperature in Helena is 58°F, compared to 49°F in Juneau. Helena receives around 11.2 in of rainfall per year, while Juneau gets 92.2 in.
