Moving to Montana from Idaho
What to Expect
Considering a move from Idaho to Montana? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Idaho to Montana, you would find that Montana is 9.9% more expensive than Idaho. A $75,000 salary in Idaho would need to be roughly $82,400 in Montana to maintain the same lifestyle. Idaho Falls and Billings are about 240 mi apart.
Is Montana cheaper than Idaho?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 21.1% more
Groceries
pay 5.7% more
Transportation
pay 0.1% more
Housing
pay 12.7% more
Childcare
pay 8.1% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 4.1% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Montana?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $82,400
To maintain the same standard of living in Montana
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Montana cost about 10% more than cities in Idaho.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Montana compared to Idaho.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Idaho performs better than Montana 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 generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Idaho leads in adult smoking rate.
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 Idaho leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Idaho 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
Idaho generally does better on employment & economy, though Montana leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Idaho generally does better on family life, though Montana leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Montana vs Idaho
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Idaho Falls | Billings |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/19°F (4°/-7°C) | 47°/20°F (8°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 69°/40°F (20°/5°C) | 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/49°F (29°/9°C) | 85°/52°F (30°/11°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 45°/24°F (7°/-5°C) | 51°/25°F (11°/-4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Idaho Falls | Billings |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.7°/-10.2°C) | 41°/16°F (4.8°/-9.1°C) |
| Feb | 36°/17°F (2.3°/-8.4°C) | 45°/19°F (7.3°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 49°/26°F (9.3°/-3.2°C) | 54°/26°F (12.3°/-3.5°C) |
| Apr | 59°/33°F (15.2°/0.3°C) | 63°/34°F (17.2°/1.1°C) |
| May | 69°/40°F (20.3°/4.7°C) | 72°/43°F (22.3°/5.9°C) |
| Jun | 78°/47°F (25.6°/8.6°C) | 81°/51°F (27.0°/10.6°C) |
| Jul | 87°/53°F (30.7°/11.7°C) | 89°/57°F (31.9°/13.8°C) |
| Aug | 87°/51°F (30.6°/10.7°C) | 89°/55°F (31.5°/12.6°C) |
| Sep | 76°/42°F (24.3°/5.8°C) | 78°/45°F (25.5°/7.2°C) |
| Oct | 61°/33°F (16.3°/0.4°C) | 65°/35°F (18.1°/1.6°C) |
| Nov | 44°/24°F (6.4°/-4.7°C) | 49°/24°F (9.7°/-4.2°C) |
| Dec | 31°/15°F (-0.5°/-9.7°C) | 39°/15°F (4.0°/-9.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Montana than Idaho?
On average Montana is around 10% pricier than Idaho, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Montana?
Budget about $20,600 for 3 months in Montana (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Montana safe?
Idaho performs better than Montana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Montana compared to Idaho?
Montana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Idaho leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Montana compared to Idaho?
The average high temperature in Billings is 64°F, compared to 59°F in Idaho Falls. Billings receives around 14.2 in of rainfall per year, while Idaho Falls gets 14.3 in.
