Moving to Montana from Rhode Island
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Rhode Island to Montana — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Rhode Island to Montana, you would find that Montana is 4.0% cheaper than Rhode Island. A $75,000 salary in Rhode Island would need to be roughly $63,799 in Montana to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Rhode Island to Montana.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $63,799
To maintain the same standard of living in Montana
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 6.6% less
Groceries
pay 14.1% less
Transportation
pay 23.9% less
Housing
pay 13.5% less
Childcare
pay 10.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 10.8% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Rhode Island 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
Rhode Island 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
Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Rhode Island 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
Rhode Island 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
Rhode Island 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 | Providence | Helena |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/25°F (5°/-4°C) | 40°/18°F (4°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/49°F (20°/9°C) | 67°/41°F (19°/5°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 79°/61°F (26°/16°C) | 81°/50°F (27°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 53°/35°F (12°/2°C) | 45°/22°F (7°/-6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Providence | Helena |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37°/21°F (3.0°/-6.1°C) | 33°/13°F (0.7°/-10.6°C) |
| Feb | 40°/24°F (4.6°/-4.7°C) | 39°/17°F (3.7°/-8.4°C) |
| Mar | 48°/30°F (8.8°/-1.1°C) | 48°/24°F (9.0°/-4.3°C) |
| Apr | 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.2°C) | 58°/32°F (14.3°/0.1°C) |
| May | 68°/49°F (20.2°/9.2°C) | 67°/41°F (19.5°/4.9°C) |
| Jun | 78°/58°F (25.3°/14.7°C) | 76°/49°F (24.3°/9.2°C) |
| Jul | 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.9°C) | 86°/54°F (29.8°/12.4°C) |
| Aug | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.3°C) | 85°/52°F (29.2°/11.2°C) |
| Sep | 74°/55°F (23.4°/12.9°C) | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.2°C) |
| Oct | 63°/44°F (17.4°/6.6°C) | 59°/33°F (14.8°/0.3°C) |
| Nov | 53°/36°F (11.8°/2.1°C) | 43°/22°F (6.2°/-5.6°C) |
| Dec | 42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.2°C) | 32°/12°F (-0.2°/-11.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Montana than Rhode Island?
Generally yes: Montana runs about 15% cheaper than Rhode Island on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
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 $15,950 in Montana for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Montana safe?
Rhode Island performs better than Montana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Montana compared to Rhode Island?
Rhode Island generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Montana leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Montana compared to Rhode Island?
The average high temperature in Helena is 58°F, compared to 61°F in Providence. Helena receives around 11.2 in of rainfall per year, while Providence gets 47.2 in.
