Moving to Washington from Montana
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Montana to Washington — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Montana to Washington, you would find that Washington is 8.1% more expensive than Montana. A $75,000 salary in Montana would need to be roughly $80,153 in Washington to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Montana to Washington.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $80,153
To maintain the same standard of living in Washington
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.8% more
Groceries
pay 5.1% more
Transportation
pay 29.2% more
Housing
pay 5.1% more
Childcare
pay 15.3% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.4% 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 Washington cost about 17% more than cities in Montana.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Montana and Washington 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 Washington 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
Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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
Washington generally does better on employment & economy, though Montana leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Washington 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 | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 40°/18°F (4°/-8°C) | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 67°/41°F (19°/5°C) | 65°/43°F (18°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/50°F (27°/10°C) | 76°/49°F (24°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 45°/22°F (7°/-6°C) | 51°/36°F (11°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Helena | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33°/13°F (0.7°/-10.6°C) | 46°/34°F (7.7°/0.9°C) |
| Feb | 39°/17°F (3.7°/-8.4°C) | 49°/33°F (9.6°/0.4°C) |
| Mar | 48°/24°F (9.0°/-4.3°C) | 54°/35°F (12.2°/1.7°C) |
| Apr | 58°/32°F (14.3°/0.1°C) | 59°/38°F (14.9°/3.2°C) |
| May | 67°/41°F (19.5°/4.9°C) | 65°/43°F (18.5°/6.2°C) |
| Jun | 76°/49°F (24.3°/9.2°C) | 71°/48°F (21.4°/8.7°C) |
| Jul | 86°/54°F (29.8°/12.4°C) | 77°/51°F (24.9°/10.4°C) |
| Aug | 85°/52°F (29.2°/11.2°C) | 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.3°C) |
| Sep | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.2°C) | 72°/46°F (22.1°/7.8°C) |
| Oct | 59°/33°F (14.8°/0.3°C) | 60°/40°F (15.7°/4.7°C) |
| Nov | 43°/22°F (6.2°/-5.6°C) | 50°/36°F (10.1°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 32°/12°F (-0.2°/-11.2°C) | 44°/33°F (6.8°/0.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Washington than Montana?
Day-to-day costs in Washington run about 7% higher than Montana on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Washington?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $20,038 in Washington for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Washington safe?
Montana generally does better on safety, though Washington leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Washington compared to Montana?
Washington generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Montana leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Washington compared to Montana?
The average high temperature in Olympia is 60°F, compared to 58°F in Helena. Olympia receives around 50.0 in of rainfall per year, while Helena gets 11.2 in.
