Moving to North Carolina from Montana
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Montana to North Carolina — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Montana to North Carolina, you would find that North Carolina is 2.1% cheaper than Montana. A $75,000 salary in Montana would need to be roughly $73,400 in North Carolina to maintain the same lifestyle. Billings and Charlotte are about 1,600 mi apart.
Is North Carolina cheaper than Montana?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 13.0% less
Groceries
pay 17.0% more
Transportation
pay 6.9% more
Housing
pay 9.6% less
Childcare
pay 0.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.4% 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 North Carolina?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $73,400
To maintain the same standard of living in North Carolina
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 North Carolina cost about 3% more than cities in Montana.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Montana to North Carolina.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Montana generally does better on safety, though North Carolina leads in violent crime rate.
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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Montana performs better than North Carolina across all infrastructure metrics.
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 North Carolina leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Montana performs better than North Carolina 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
Weather in North Carolina vs Montana
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Billings | Charlotte |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 47°/20°F (8°/-7°C) | 56°/34°F (14°/1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) | 79°/56°F (26°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/52°F (30°/11°C) | 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/25°F (11°/-4°C) | 62°/40°F (17°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Billings | Charlotte |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41°/16°F (4.8°/-9.1°C) | 51°/30°F (10.4°/-1.3°C) |
| Feb | 45°/19°F (7.3°/-7.3°C) | 55°/33°F (12.8°/0.4°C) |
| Mar | 54°/26°F (12.3°/-3.5°C) | 63°/39°F (17.3°/4.1°C) |
| Apr | 63°/34°F (17.2°/1.1°C) | 72°/47°F (22.2°/8.3°C) |
| May | 72°/43°F (22.3°/5.9°C) | 79°/56°F (26.1°/13.2°C) |
| Jun | 81°/51°F (27.0°/10.6°C) | 86°/65°F (30.0°/18.1°C) |
| Jul | 89°/57°F (31.9°/13.8°C) | 89°/68°F (31.7°/20.1°C) |
| Aug | 89°/55°F (31.5°/12.6°C) | 87°/67°F (30.8°/19.6°C) |
| Sep | 78°/45°F (25.5°/7.2°C) | 81°/60°F (27.4°/15.8°C) |
| Oct | 65°/35°F (18.1°/1.6°C) | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) |
| Nov | 49°/24°F (9.7°/-4.2°C) | 62°/39°F (16.9°/4.0°C) |
| Dec | 39°/15°F (4.0°/-9.2°C) | 53°/32°F (11.6°/-0.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in North Carolina than Montana?
Costs in North Carolina and Montana are broadly similar overall, though categories like rent and dining differ between cities.
How much money do I need to move to North Carolina?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $18,350 in North Carolina on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is North Carolina safe?
Montana generally does better on safety, though North Carolina leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in North Carolina compared to Montana?
Montana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though North Carolina leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in North Carolina compared to Montana?
The average high temperature in Charlotte is 71°F, compared to 64°F in Billings. Charlotte receives around 41.7 in of rainfall per year, while Billings gets 14.2 in.
