Moving to Ohio from Montana
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Montana to Ohio — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Montana to Ohio, you would find that Ohio is 8.7% cheaper than Montana. A $75,000 salary in Montana would need to be roughly $64,017 in Ohio to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Columbus averages 76°F vs 58°F in Helena, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Montana to Ohio.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $64,017
To maintain the same standard of living in Ohio
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 12.3% less
Groceries
pay 9.0% less
Transportation
pay 27.5% more
Housing
pay 17.8% less
Childcare
pay 17.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.8% 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.
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 Ohio cost about 15% less than cities in Montana.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Montana and Ohio stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Ohio 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 Ohio leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Ohio generally does better on what about housing?, though Montana 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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 performs better than Ohio 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.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Helena | Columbus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 40°/18°F (4°/-8°C) | 63°/41°F (17°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 67°/41°F (19°/5°C) | 84°/62°F (29°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/50°F (27°/10°C) | 90°/71°F (32°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 45°/22°F (7°/-6°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
View all months
| Month | Helena | Columbus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33°/13°F (0.7°/-10.6°C) | 58°/37°F (14.2°/2.7°C) |
| Feb | 39°/17°F (3.7°/-8.4°C) | 62°/40°F (16.7°/4.5°C) |
| Mar | 48°/24°F (9.0°/-4.3°C) | 69°/46°F (20.8°/7.8°C) |
| Apr | 58°/32°F (14.3°/0.1°C) | 77°/53°F (24.8°/11.4°C) |
| May | 67°/41°F (19.5°/4.9°C) | 84°/62°F (28.9°/16.6°C) |
| Jun | 76°/49°F (24.3°/9.2°C) | 90°/70°F (32.2°/20.9°C) |
| Jul | 86°/54°F (29.8°/12.4°C) | 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) |
| Aug | 85°/52°F (29.2°/11.2°C) | 91°/72°F (33.0°/22.4°C) |
| Sep | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.2°C) | 86°/67°F (30.2°/19.3°C) |
| Oct | 59°/33°F (14.8°/0.3°C) | 77°/56°F (25.2°/13.1°C) |
| Nov | 43°/22°F (6.2°/-5.6°C) | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) |
| Dec | 32°/12°F (-0.2°/-11.2°C) | 59°/39°F (15.2°/3.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Ohio than Montana?
Generally yes: Ohio runs about 15% cheaper than Montana on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Ohio?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $16,004 in Ohio for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Ohio safe?
Ohio performs significantly better than Montana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Ohio compared to Montana?
Montana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ohio leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Ohio compared to Montana?
The average high temperature in Columbus is 76°F, compared to 58°F in Helena. Columbus receives around 46.8 in of rainfall per year, while Helena gets 11.2 in.
