Moving to Montana from Virginia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Virginia to Montana — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Virginia to Montana, you would find that Montana is 5.7% cheaper than Virginia. A $75,000 salary in Virginia would need to be roughly $68,579 in Montana to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Helena averages 58°F vs 70°F in Richmond, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Virginia to Montana.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $68,579
To maintain the same standard of living in Montana
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 1.4% less
Groceries
pay 11.7% less
Transportation
pay 10.7% less
Childcare
pay 18.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 4.8% 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.
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 5% less than cities in Virginia.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Virginia 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
Virginia 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
Virginia 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 Virginia across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Virginia 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
Virginia performs better than Montana 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
Virginia 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 | Richmond | Helena |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 40°/18°F (4°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) | 67°/41°F (19°/5°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) | 81°/50°F (27°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) | 45°/22°F (7°/-6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Richmond | Helena |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) | 33°/13°F (0.7°/-10.6°C) |
| Feb | 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) | 39°/17°F (3.7°/-8.4°C) |
| Mar | 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) | 48°/24°F (9.0°/-4.3°C) |
| Apr | 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) | 58°/32°F (14.3°/0.1°C) |
| May | 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) | 67°/41°F (19.5°/4.9°C) |
| Jun | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) | 76°/49°F (24.3°/9.2°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) | 86°/54°F (29.8°/12.4°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) | 85°/52°F (29.2°/11.2°C) |
| Sep | 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.2°C) |
| Oct | 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) | 59°/33°F (14.8°/0.3°C) |
| Nov | 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) | 43°/22°F (6.2°/-5.6°C) |
| Dec | 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C) | 32°/12°F (-0.2°/-11.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Montana than Virginia?
Generally yes: Montana runs about 9% cheaper than Virginia 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 $17,145 in Montana for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Montana safe?
Virginia performs better than Montana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Montana compared to Virginia?
Virginia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Montana leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Montana compared to Virginia?
The average high temperature in Helena is 58°F, compared to 70°F in Richmond. Helena receives around 11.2 in of rainfall per year, while Richmond gets 43.6 in.
