Moving to Montana from New York
What to Expect
Considering a move from New York to Montana? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from New York to Montana, you would find that Montana is 15.5% cheaper than New York. A $75,000 salary in New York would need to be roughly $63,400 in Montana to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between New York and Montana.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $63,400
To maintain the same standard of living in Montana
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 1.5% less
Groceries
pay 14.7% less
Transportation
pay 21.7% less
Housing
pay 19.4% less
Childcare
pay 29.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.2% 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 Montana cost about 10% less than cities in New York.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Montana compared to New York.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
New York performs 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
New York 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 significantly better than New York across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
New York generally does better on infrastructure, though Montana leads in average commute.
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
New York 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
New York performs better than Montana across all family life metrics.
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 | Albany | Helena |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C) | 40°/18°F (4°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) | 67°/41°F (19°/5°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/58°F (26°/14°C) | 81°/50°F (27°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 45°/22°F (7°/-6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Albany | Helena |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C) | 33°/13°F (0.7°/-10.6°C) |
| Feb | 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C) | 39°/17°F (3.7°/-8.4°C) |
| Mar | 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C) | 48°/24°F (9.0°/-4.3°C) |
| Apr | 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C) | 58°/32°F (14.3°/0.1°C) |
| May | 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C) | 67°/41°F (19.5°/4.9°C) |
| Jun | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C) | 76°/49°F (24.3°/9.2°C) |
| Jul | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C) | 86°/54°F (29.8°/12.4°C) |
| Aug | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C) | 85°/52°F (29.2°/11.2°C) |
| Sep | 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C) | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.2°C) |
| Oct | 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C) | 59°/33°F (14.8°/0.3°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C) | 43°/22°F (6.2°/-5.6°C) |
| Dec | 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C) | 32°/12°F (-0.2°/-11.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Montana than New York?
On average Montana is about 15% less expensive than New York, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Montana?
Budget about $15,850 for 3 months in Montana (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Montana safe?
New York performs better than Montana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Montana compared to New York?
New York generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Montana leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Montana compared to New York?
The average high temperature in Helena is 58°F, compared to 58°F in Albany. Helena receives around 11.2 in of rainfall per year, while Albany gets 39.4 in.
