Moving to New Jersey from Montana

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What to Expect

Considering a move from Montana to New Jersey? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.

If you moved from Montana to New Jersey, you would find that New Jersey is 21.5% more expensive than Montana. A $75,000 salary in Montana would need to be roughly $89,226 in New Jersey to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Montana and New Jersey.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $89,226

To maintain the same standard of living in New Jersey

Calculate with your salary →

How key spending categories compare

Restaurants

pay 2.8% more

Groceries

pay 21.2% more

Transportation

pay 54.1% more

Housing

pay 16.0% more

Childcare

pay 33.8% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 19.4% more

See full cost of living breakdown

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 New Jersey cost about 30% more than cities in Montana.

Montana

Bozeman 74%
Missoula 64%
Billings 58%

New Jersey

Princeton 87%

Compare cities head-to-head

Key Indicator Comparison

The numbers behind daily life in New Jersey compared to Montana.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

MT
437
NJ
215
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

MT
1815
NJ
1481

New Jersey performs significantly better than Montana across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

MT
8.0%
NJ
7.1%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

MT
31.8%
NJ
30.0%

New Jersey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Montana leads in diabetes rate.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

MT
$338,100
NJ
$427,600
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

MT
$1,031
NJ
$1,653

Montana performs better than New Jersey across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

MT
88.7%
NJ
91.9%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

MT
19 min
NJ
31 min

Montana generally does better on infrastructure, though New Jersey leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

MT
3.7%
NJ
4.5%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

MT
$52,945
NJ
$70,788

New Jersey generally does better on employment & economy, though Montana leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

MT
76.8 yrs
NJ
77.5 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

MT
23%
NJ
29%

New Jersey performs significantly better than Montana 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.

Helena Rain: 11.2 in/yr (285 mm)
58° / 33°F

Avg. annual high / low

Trenton Rain: 46.5 in/yr (1180 mm)
63° / 44°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Helena Trenton
Jan–Mar 40°/18°F (4°/-8°C) 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C)
Apr–Jun 67°/41°F (19°/5°C) 71°/51°F (22°/10°C)
Jul–Sep 81°/50°F (27°/10°C) 82°/62°F (28°/17°C)
Oct–Dec 45°/22°F (7°/-6°C) 54°/36°F (12°/2°C)
View all months
Month Helena Trenton
Jan 33°/13°F (0.7°/-10.6°C) 39°/23°F (3.9°/-4.9°C)
Feb 39°/17°F (3.7°/-8.4°C) 42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.4°C)
Mar 48°/24°F (9.0°/-4.3°C) 51°/32°F (10.5°/-0.1°C)
Apr 58°/32°F (14.3°/0.1°C) 61°/41°F (16.3°/5.0°C)
May 67°/41°F (19.5°/4.9°C) 72°/51°F (22.1°/10.3°C)
Jun 76°/49°F (24.3°/9.2°C) 81°/60°F (27.1°/15.7°C)
Jul 86°/54°F (29.8°/12.4°C) 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C)
Aug 85°/52°F (29.2°/11.2°C) 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.9°C)
Sep 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.2°C) 76°/56°F (24.5°/13.6°C)
Oct 59°/33°F (14.8°/0.3°C) 65°/44°F (18.3°/6.8°C)
Nov 43°/22°F (6.2°/-5.6°C) 54°/37°F (12.5°/2.7°C)
Dec 32°/12°F (-0.2°/-11.2°C) 43°/28°F (6.2°/-2.4°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in New Jersey than Montana?

On average New Jersey is around 19% pricier than Montana, with notable variation by city.

How much money do I need to move to New Jersey?

Budget about $22,306 for 3 months in New Jersey (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is New Jersey safe?

New Jersey performs significantly better than Montana across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in New Jersey compared to Montana?

New Jersey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Montana leads in diabetes rate.

What's the weather like in New Jersey compared to Montana?

The average high temperature in Trenton is 63°F, compared to 58°F in Helena. Trenton receives around 46.5 in of rainfall per year, while Helena gets 11.2 in.

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