Moving to Oregon from Montana
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Montana to Oregon — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Montana to Oregon, you would find that Oregon is 5.0% cheaper than Montana. A $75,000 salary in Montana would need to be roughly $70,854 in Oregon to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Montana to Oregon.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $70,854
To maintain the same standard of living in Oregon
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 4.0% less
Groceries
pay 4.9% less
Transportation
pay 18.3% more
Housing
pay 5.3% less
Childcare
pay 21.3% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.1% 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 Oregon cost about 2% more than cities in Montana.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Montana and Oregon 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
Montana generally does better on safety, though Oregon 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 Oregon leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Montana performs better than Oregon 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 Oregon 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 Oregon 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
Oregon 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.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Helena | Salem |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 40°/18°F (4°/-8°C) | 52°/36°F (11°/2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 67°/41°F (19°/5°C) | 68°/45°F (20°/7°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/50°F (27°/10°C) | 80°/51°F (27°/11°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 45°/22°F (7°/-6°C) | 54°/38°F (12°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Helena | Salem |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33°/13°F (0.7°/-10.6°C) | 48°/35°F (8.7°/1.5°C) |
| Feb | 39°/17°F (3.7°/-8.4°C) | 52°/35°F (10.9°/1.4°C) |
| Mar | 48°/24°F (9.0°/-4.3°C) | 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.9°C) |
| Apr | 58°/32°F (14.3°/0.1°C) | 61°/40°F (16.2°/4.2°C) |
| May | 67°/41°F (19.5°/4.9°C) | 68°/45°F (19.9°/7.1°C) |
| Jun | 76°/49°F (24.3°/9.2°C) | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.6°C) |
| Jul | 86°/54°F (29.8°/12.4°C) | 82°/53°F (27.8°/11.7°C) |
| Aug | 85°/52°F (29.2°/11.2°C) | 82°/53°F (28.0°/11.6°C) |
| Sep | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.2°C) | 77°/48°F (24.9°/9.1°C) |
| Oct | 59°/33°F (14.8°/0.3°C) | 64°/42°F (17.8°/5.7°C) |
| Nov | 43°/22°F (6.2°/-5.6°C) | 53°/38°F (11.4°/3.6°C) |
| Dec | 32°/12°F (-0.2°/-11.2°C) | 46°/34°F (7.9°/1.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Oregon than Montana?
Generally yes: Oregon runs about 6% cheaper than Montana on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Oregon?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $17,714 in Oregon for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Oregon safe?
Montana generally does better on safety, though Oregon leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Oregon compared to Montana?
Montana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Oregon leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Oregon compared to Montana?
The average high temperature in Salem is 64°F, compared to 58°F in Helena. Salem receives around 39.7 in of rainfall per year, while Helena gets 11.2 in.
