Moving to Idaho from Montana
What to Expect
Considering a move from Montana to Idaho? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Montana to Idaho, you would find that Idaho is 9.0% cheaper than Montana. A $75,000 salary in Montana would need to be roughly $68,200 in Idaho to maintain the same lifestyle. Billings and Idaho Falls are about 240 mi apart.
Is Idaho cheaper than Montana?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 17.4% less
Groceries
pay 5.4% less
Transportation
pay 0.1% less
Housing
pay 11.2% less
Childcare
pay 7.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 4.0% 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.
What salary do you need in Idaho?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $68,200
To maintain the same standard of living in Idaho
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 Idaho cost about 9% less than cities in Montana.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Idaho compared to Montana.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Idaho performs significantly 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
Montana generally does better on infrastructure, though Idaho leads in internet access.
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
Montana generally does better on family life, though Idaho leads in life expectancy.
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 Idaho vs Montana
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Billings | Idaho Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 47°/20°F (8°/-7°C) | 39°/19°F (4°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) | 69°/40°F (20°/5°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/52°F (30°/11°C) | 83°/49°F (29°/9°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/25°F (11°/-4°C) | 45°/24°F (7°/-5°C) |
View all months
| Month | Billings | Idaho Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41°/16°F (4.8°/-9.1°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.7°/-10.2°C) |
| Feb | 45°/19°F (7.3°/-7.3°C) | 36°/17°F (2.3°/-8.4°C) |
| Mar | 54°/26°F (12.3°/-3.5°C) | 49°/26°F (9.3°/-3.2°C) |
| Apr | 63°/34°F (17.2°/1.1°C) | 59°/33°F (15.2°/0.3°C) |
| May | 72°/43°F (22.3°/5.9°C) | 69°/40°F (20.3°/4.7°C) |
| Jun | 81°/51°F (27.0°/10.6°C) | 78°/47°F (25.6°/8.6°C) |
| Jul | 89°/57°F (31.9°/13.8°C) | 87°/53°F (30.7°/11.7°C) |
| Aug | 89°/55°F (31.5°/12.6°C) | 87°/51°F (30.6°/10.7°C) |
| Sep | 78°/45°F (25.5°/7.2°C) | 76°/42°F (24.3°/5.8°C) |
| Oct | 65°/35°F (18.1°/1.6°C) | 61°/33°F (16.3°/0.4°C) |
| Nov | 49°/24°F (9.7°/-4.2°C) | 44°/24°F (6.4°/-4.7°C) |
| Dec | 39°/15°F (4.0°/-9.2°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.5°/-9.7°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Idaho than Montana?
On average Idaho is about 9% less expensive than Montana, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Idaho?
Budget about $17,050 for 3 months in Idaho (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Idaho safe?
Idaho performs significantly better than Montana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Idaho compared to Montana?
Montana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Idaho leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Idaho compared to Montana?
The average high temperature in Idaho Falls is 59°F, compared to 64°F in Billings. Idaho Falls receives around 14.3 in of rainfall per year, while Billings gets 14.2 in.
