Moving to Montana from Oregon
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Oregon to Montana — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Oregon to Montana, you would find that Montana is 10.1% more expensive than Oregon. A $75,000 salary in Oregon would need to be roughly $79,388 in Montana to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Oregon to Montana.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $79,388
To maintain the same standard of living in Montana
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 5.5% more
Groceries
pay 6.9% more
Transportation
pay 13.5% less
Housing
pay 6.4% more
Childcare
pay 39.9% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.6% 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 2% less than cities in Oregon.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Oregon 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
Oregon 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
Oregon generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Montana leads in adult obesity 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 Oregon across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Oregon 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
Oregon 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
Oregon performs 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 | Salem | Helena |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 52°/36°F (11°/2°C) | 40°/18°F (4°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/45°F (20°/7°C) | 67°/41°F (19°/5°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 80°/51°F (27°/11°C) | 81°/50°F (27°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/38°F (12°/3°C) | 45°/22°F (7°/-6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Salem | Helena |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48°/35°F (8.7°/1.5°C) | 33°/13°F (0.7°/-10.6°C) |
| Feb | 52°/35°F (10.9°/1.4°C) | 39°/17°F (3.7°/-8.4°C) |
| Mar | 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.9°C) | 48°/24°F (9.0°/-4.3°C) |
| Apr | 61°/40°F (16.2°/4.2°C) | 58°/32°F (14.3°/0.1°C) |
| May | 68°/45°F (19.9°/7.1°C) | 67°/41°F (19.5°/4.9°C) |
| Jun | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.6°C) | 76°/49°F (24.3°/9.2°C) |
| Jul | 82°/53°F (27.8°/11.7°C) | 86°/54°F (29.8°/12.4°C) |
| Aug | 82°/53°F (28.0°/11.6°C) | 85°/52°F (29.2°/11.2°C) |
| Sep | 77°/48°F (24.9°/9.1°C) | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.2°C) |
| Oct | 64°/42°F (17.8°/5.7°C) | 59°/33°F (14.8°/0.3°C) |
| Nov | 53°/38°F (11.4°/3.6°C) | 43°/22°F (6.2°/-5.6°C) |
| Dec | 46°/34°F (7.9°/1.1°C) | 32°/12°F (-0.2°/-11.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Montana than Oregon?
Day-to-day costs in Montana run about 6% higher than Oregon on average; specific cities can swing further.
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 $19,847 in Montana for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Montana safe?
Oregon generally does better on safety, though Montana leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Montana compared to Oregon?
Oregon generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Montana leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Montana compared to Oregon?
The average high temperature in Helena is 58°F, compared to 64°F in Salem. Helena receives around 11.2 in of rainfall per year, while Salem gets 39.7 in.
