Moving to Virginia from Montana
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Montana to Virginia — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Montana to Virginia, you would find that Virginia is 9.9% more expensive than Montana. A $75,000 salary in Montana would need to be roughly $82,022 in Virginia to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Richmond averages 70°F vs 58°F in Helena, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Montana to Virginia.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $82,022
To maintain the same standard of living in Virginia
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 3.1% more
Groceries
pay 18.2% more
Transportation
pay 25.7% more
Housing
pay 2.1% more
Childcare
pay 23.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.9% 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 Virginia cost about 5% more than cities in Montana.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Montana to Virginia.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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
Virginia performs significantly better than Montana across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Virginia 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 | Richmond |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 40°/18°F (4°/-8°C) | 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 67°/41°F (19°/5°C) | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/50°F (27°/10°C) | 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 45°/22°F (7°/-6°C) | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Helena | Richmond |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33°/13°F (0.7°/-10.6°C) | 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) |
| Feb | 39°/17°F (3.7°/-8.4°C) | 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) |
| Mar | 48°/24°F (9.0°/-4.3°C) | 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) |
| Apr | 58°/32°F (14.3°/0.1°C) | 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) |
| May | 67°/41°F (19.5°/4.9°C) | 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) |
| Jun | 76°/49°F (24.3°/9.2°C) | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) |
| Jul | 86°/54°F (29.8°/12.4°C) | 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) |
| Aug | 85°/52°F (29.2°/11.2°C) | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) |
| Sep | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.2°C) | 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) |
| Oct | 59°/33°F (14.8°/0.3°C) | 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) |
| Nov | 43°/22°F (6.2°/-5.6°C) | 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) |
| Dec | 32°/12°F (-0.2°/-11.2°C) | 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Virginia than Montana?
No — Virginia is on average about 9% more expensive than Montana. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Virginia?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $20,506 in Virginia on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Virginia safe?
Virginia performs significantly better than Montana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Virginia compared to Montana?
Montana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Virginia leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Virginia compared to Montana?
The average high temperature in Richmond is 70°F, compared to 58°F in Helena. Richmond receives around 43.6 in of rainfall per year, while Helena gets 11.2 in.
