Moving to Montana from South Carolina
What to Expect
Considering a move from South Carolina to Montana? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from South Carolina to Montana, you would find that Montana is 0.4% cheaper than South Carolina. A $75,000 salary in South Carolina would need to be roughly $74,700 in Montana to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Billings averages 64°F vs 73°F in Charleston, making it significantly cooler. Charleston and Billings are about 1,750 mi apart.
Is Montana cheaper than South Carolina?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 7.4% more
Groceries
pay 17.0% less
Transportation
pay 2.7% less
Housing
pay 2.1% more
Childcare
pay 3.7% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.9% 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 → $74,700
To maintain the same standard of living in Montana
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Montana compared to South Carolina.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Montana performs significantly better than South Carolina 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 South 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
South Carolina generally does better on what about housing?, though Montana leads in median rent.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Montana performs significantly better than South Carolina across all infrastructure metrics.
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 performs significantly better than South Carolina across all employment & economy metrics.
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 South 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 South Carolina
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Charleston | Billings |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) | 47°/20°F (8°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) | 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) | 85°/52°F (30°/11°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) | 51°/25°F (11°/-4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Charleston | Billings |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) | 41°/16°F (4.8°/-9.1°C) |
| Feb | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) | 45°/19°F (7.3°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) | 54°/26°F (12.3°/-3.5°C) |
| Apr | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) | 63°/34°F (17.2°/1.1°C) |
| May | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) | 72°/43°F (22.3°/5.9°C) |
| Jun | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) | 81°/51°F (27.0°/10.6°C) |
| Jul | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) | 89°/57°F (31.9°/13.8°C) |
| Aug | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) | 89°/55°F (31.5°/12.6°C) |
| Sep | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) | 78°/45°F (25.5°/7.2°C) |
| Oct | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) | 65°/35°F (18.1°/1.6°C) |
| Nov | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) | 49°/24°F (9.7°/-4.2°C) |
| Dec | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) | 39°/15°F (4.0°/-9.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Montana than South Carolina?
Montana and South Carolina are within a few percent on overall cost, though specific items in specific cities can swing either way.
How much money do I need to move to Montana?
Budget about $18,675 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?
Montana performs significantly better than South Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Montana compared to South Carolina?
Montana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Carolina leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Montana compared to South Carolina?
The average high temperature in Billings is 64°F, compared to 73°F in Charleston. Billings receives around 14.2 in of rainfall per year, while Charleston gets 44.4 in.
