Moving to Montana from Ohio
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Ohio to Montana — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Ohio to Montana, you would find that Montana is 14.4% more expensive than Ohio. A $75,000 salary in Ohio would need to be roughly $85,800 in Montana to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Helena averages 58°F vs 76°F in Columbus, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Ohio to Montana.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $85,800
To maintain the same standard of living in Montana
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 20.7% more
Groceries
pay 3.1% more
Transportation
pay 14.2% less
Housing
pay 35.2% more
Childcare
pay 0.3% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 20.2% 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 Montana cost about 20% more than cities in Ohio.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Ohio to Montana.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Ohio 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
Montana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ohio leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Ohio generally does better on what about housing?, though Montana leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Ohio 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
Montana generally does better on employment & economy, though Ohio leads in gdp per capita.
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 Ohio 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 | Columbus | Helena |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 63°/41°F (17°/5°C) | 40°/18°F (4°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 84°/62°F (29°/16°C) | 67°/41°F (19°/5°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/71°F (32°/21°C) | 81°/50°F (27°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) | 45°/22°F (7°/-6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Columbus | Helena |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58°/37°F (14.2°/2.7°C) | 33°/13°F (0.7°/-10.6°C) |
| Feb | 62°/40°F (16.7°/4.5°C) | 39°/17°F (3.7°/-8.4°C) |
| Mar | 69°/46°F (20.8°/7.8°C) | 48°/24°F (9.0°/-4.3°C) |
| Apr | 77°/53°F (24.8°/11.4°C) | 58°/32°F (14.3°/0.1°C) |
| May | 84°/62°F (28.9°/16.6°C) | 67°/41°F (19.5°/4.9°C) |
| Jun | 90°/70°F (32.2°/20.9°C) | 76°/49°F (24.3°/9.2°C) |
| Jul | 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) | 86°/54°F (29.8°/12.4°C) |
| Aug | 91°/72°F (33.0°/22.4°C) | 85°/52°F (29.2°/11.2°C) |
| Sep | 86°/67°F (30.2°/19.3°C) | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.2°C) |
| Oct | 77°/56°F (25.2°/13.1°C) | 59°/33°F (14.8°/0.3°C) |
| Nov | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) | 43°/22°F (6.2°/-5.6°C) |
| Dec | 59°/39°F (15.2°/3.8°C) | 32°/12°F (-0.2°/-11.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Montana than Ohio?
No — Montana is on average about 14% more expensive than Ohio. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Montana?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $21,450 in Montana on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Montana safe?
Ohio performs better than Montana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Montana compared to Ohio?
Montana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ohio leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Montana compared to Ohio?
The average high temperature in Helena is 58°F, compared to 76°F in Columbus. Helena receives around 11.2 in of rainfall per year, while Columbus gets 46.8 in.
