Moving to Montana from North Carolina
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from North Carolina to Montana — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from North Carolina to Montana, you would find that Montana is 2.1% more expensive than North Carolina. A $75,000 salary in North Carolina would need to be roughly $76,600 in Montana to maintain the same lifestyle. Charlotte and Billings are about 1,600 mi apart.
Is Montana cheaper than North Carolina?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 15.0% more
Groceries
pay 14.5% less
Transportation
pay 6.4% less
Housing
pay 10.6% more
Childcare
pay 0.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.7% 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.
What salary do you need in Montana?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $76,600
To maintain the same standard of living in Montana
Calculate with your salary →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 3% less than cities in North Carolina.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How North Carolina and Montana 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
North Carolina generally does better on safety, though Montana leads in property 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 North Carolina leads in adult smoking 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 North Carolina leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
North Carolina 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
North Carolina generally does better on employment & economy, though Montana leads in median household income.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Montana performs significantly better than North Carolina 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
Weather in Montana vs North Carolina
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Charlotte | Billings |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 56°/34°F (14°/1°C) | 47°/20°F (8°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/56°F (26°/13°C) | 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) | 85°/52°F (30°/11°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 62°/40°F (17°/4°C) | 51°/25°F (11°/-4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Charlotte | Billings |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51°/30°F (10.4°/-1.3°C) | 41°/16°F (4.8°/-9.1°C) |
| Feb | 55°/33°F (12.8°/0.4°C) | 45°/19°F (7.3°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 63°/39°F (17.3°/4.1°C) | 54°/26°F (12.3°/-3.5°C) |
| Apr | 72°/47°F (22.2°/8.3°C) | 63°/34°F (17.2°/1.1°C) |
| May | 79°/56°F (26.1°/13.2°C) | 72°/43°F (22.3°/5.9°C) |
| Jun | 86°/65°F (30.0°/18.1°C) | 81°/51°F (27.0°/10.6°C) |
| Jul | 89°/68°F (31.7°/20.1°C) | 89°/57°F (31.9°/13.8°C) |
| Aug | 87°/67°F (30.8°/19.6°C) | 89°/55°F (31.5°/12.6°C) |
| Sep | 81°/60°F (27.4°/15.8°C) | 78°/45°F (25.5°/7.2°C) |
| Oct | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) | 65°/35°F (18.1°/1.6°C) |
| Nov | 62°/39°F (16.9°/4.0°C) | 49°/24°F (9.7°/-4.2°C) |
| Dec | 53°/32°F (11.6°/-0.1°C) | 39°/15°F (4.0°/-9.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Montana than North Carolina?
Headline costs are within a few percent between Montana and North Carolina; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
How much money do I need to move to Montana?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $19,150 in Montana for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Montana safe?
North Carolina generally does better on safety, though Montana leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Montana compared to North Carolina?
Montana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though North Carolina leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Montana compared to North Carolina?
The average high temperature in Billings is 64°F, compared to 71°F in Charlotte. Billings receives around 14.2 in of rainfall per year, while Charlotte gets 41.7 in.
