Moving to Montana from Illinois
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Illinois to Montana — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Illinois to Montana, you would find that Montana is 3.0% more expensive than Illinois. A $75,000 salary in Illinois would need to be roughly $77,300 in Montana to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Illinois to Montana.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $77,300
To maintain the same standard of living in Montana
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 14.9% more
Groceries
pay 1.9% less
Transportation
pay 12.4% less
Housing
pay 11.0% more
Childcare
pay 7.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.3% 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.
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 11% more than cities in Illinois.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Illinois to Montana.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Illinois 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
Illinois generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Montana leads in adult obesity 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 Illinois leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Illinois 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
Illinois 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
Illinois performs better than Montana across all family life metrics.
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
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Springfield | Helena |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/25°F (6°/-4°C) | 40°/18°F (4°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 74°/52°F (23°/11°C) | 67°/41°F (19°/5°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/61°F (29°/16°C) | 81°/50°F (27°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 52°/33°F (11°/1°C) | 45°/22°F (7°/-6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Springfield | Helena |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35°/19°F (1.6°/-7.4°C) | 33°/13°F (0.7°/-10.6°C) |
| Feb | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.2°C) | 39°/17°F (3.7°/-8.4°C) |
| Mar | 52°/32°F (11.2°/0.1°C) | 48°/24°F (9.0°/-4.3°C) |
| Apr | 65°/42°F (18.1°/5.8°C) | 58°/32°F (14.3°/0.1°C) |
| May | 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.4°C) | 67°/41°F (19.5°/4.9°C) |
| Jun | 83°/62°F (28.4°/16.6°C) | 76°/49°F (24.3°/9.2°C) |
| Jul | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.6°C) | 86°/54°F (29.8°/12.4°C) |
| Aug | 85°/64°F (29.4°/17.6°C) | 85°/52°F (29.2°/11.2°C) |
| Sep | 79°/55°F (26.1°/12.6°C) | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.2°C) |
| Oct | 66°/44°F (19.1°/6.6°C) | 59°/33°F (14.8°/0.3°C) |
| Nov | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.1°C) | 43°/22°F (6.2°/-5.6°C) |
| Dec | 38°/22°F (3.5°/-5.3°C) | 32°/12°F (-0.2°/-11.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Montana than Illinois?
No — Montana is on average about 3% more expensive than Illinois. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Montana?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $19,325 in Montana on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Montana safe?
Illinois performs better than Montana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Montana compared to Illinois?
Illinois generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Montana leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Montana compared to Illinois?
The average high temperature in Helena is 58°F, compared to 63°F in Springfield. Helena receives around 11.2 in of rainfall per year, while Springfield gets 37.4 in.
