Moving to Wisconsin from Montana
What to Expect
Considering a move from Montana to Wisconsin? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Montana to Wisconsin, you would find that Wisconsin is 10.9% cheaper than Montana. A $75,000 salary in Montana would need to be roughly $66,800 in Wisconsin to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Montana and Wisconsin.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $66,800
To maintain the same standard of living in Wisconsin
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 14.3% less
Groceries
pay 5.3% less
Housing
pay 19.4% less
Childcare
pay 17.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.3% 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 Wisconsin cost about 10% less than cities in Montana.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Wisconsin compared to Montana.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin leads in uninsured 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 Wisconsin leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Montana generally does better on infrastructure, though Wisconsin 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
Wisconsin 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
Montana generally does better on family life, though Wisconsin leads in life expectancy.
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
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Helena | Madison |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 40°/18°F (4°/-8°C) | 33°/17°F (1°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 67°/41°F (19°/5°C) | 68°/46°F (20°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/50°F (27°/10°C) | 78°/57°F (25°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 45°/22°F (7°/-6°C) | 44°/28°F (7°/-2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Helena | Madison |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33°/13°F (0.7°/-10.6°C) | 26°/11°F (-3.1°/-11.6°C) |
| Feb | 39°/17°F (3.7°/-8.4°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.5°/-9.4°C) |
| Mar | 48°/24°F (9.0°/-4.3°C) | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-4.0°C) |
| Apr | 58°/32°F (14.3°/0.1°C) | 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) |
| May | 67°/41°F (19.5°/4.9°C) | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) |
| Jun | 76°/49°F (24.3°/9.2°C) | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.4°C) |
| Jul | 86°/54°F (29.8°/12.4°C) | 82°/61°F (27.6°/16.1°C) |
| Aug | 85°/52°F (29.2°/11.2°C) | 79°/59°F (26.3°/15.0°C) |
| Sep | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.2°C) | 72°/50°F (22.1°/10.1°C) |
| Oct | 59°/33°F (14.8°/0.3°C) | 59°/39°F (14.9°/3.8°C) |
| Nov | 43°/22°F (6.2°/-5.6°C) | 44°/28°F (6.7°/-2.1°C) |
| Dec | 32°/12°F (-0.2°/-11.2°C) | 30°/16°F (-1.0°/-8.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Wisconsin than Montana?
On average Wisconsin is about 11% less expensive than Montana, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Wisconsin?
Budget about $16,700 for 3 months in Wisconsin (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Wisconsin safe?
Wisconsin performs significantly better than Montana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Wisconsin compared to Montana?
Montana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Wisconsin leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Wisconsin compared to Montana?
The average high temperature in Madison is 56°F, compared to 58°F in Helena. Madison receives around 34.5 in of rainfall per year, while Helena gets 11.2 in.
