Moving to New York from Montana
What to Expect
Considering a move from Montana to New York? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Montana to New York, you would find that New York is 18.3% more expensive than Montana. A $75,000 salary in Montana would need to be roughly $88,700 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Montana and New York.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $88,700
To maintain the same standard of living in New York
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 1.6% more
Groceries
pay 17.3% more
Transportation
pay 27.7% more
Housing
pay 24.1% more
Childcare
pay 41.2% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.9% 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 New York cost about 12% more than cities in Montana.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in New York compared to Montana.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
New York 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
New York generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Montana leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Montana performs better than New York across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Montana generally does better on infrastructure, though New York 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
Montana generally does better on employment & economy, though New York 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
New York performs significantly 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 | Helena | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 40°/18°F (4°/-8°C) | 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 67°/41°F (19°/5°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/50°F (27°/10°C) | 78°/58°F (26°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 45°/22°F (7°/-6°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Helena | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33°/13°F (0.7°/-10.6°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C) |
| Feb | 39°/17°F (3.7°/-8.4°C) | 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C) |
| Mar | 48°/24°F (9.0°/-4.3°C) | 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C) |
| Apr | 58°/32°F (14.3°/0.1°C) | 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C) |
| May | 67°/41°F (19.5°/4.9°C) | 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C) |
| Jun | 76°/49°F (24.3°/9.2°C) | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 86°/54°F (29.8°/12.4°C) | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C) |
| Aug | 85°/52°F (29.2°/11.2°C) | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C) |
| Sep | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.2°C) | 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C) |
| Oct | 59°/33°F (14.8°/0.3°C) | 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C) |
| Nov | 43°/22°F (6.2°/-5.6°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 32°/12°F (-0.2°/-11.2°C) | 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in New York than Montana?
On average New York is around 18% pricier than Montana, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to New York?
Budget about $22,175 for 3 months in New York (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is New York safe?
New York performs significantly better than Montana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in New York compared to Montana?
New York generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Montana leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in New York compared to Montana?
The average high temperature in Albany is 58°F, compared to 58°F in Helena. Albany receives around 39.4 in of rainfall per year, while Helena gets 11.2 in.
