Moving to Montana from Wisconsin
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Wisconsin to Montana — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Wisconsin to Montana, you would find that Montana is 5.0% more expensive than Wisconsin. A $75,000 salary in Wisconsin would need to be roughly $81,445 in Montana to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Wisconsin to Montana.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $81,445
To maintain the same standard of living in Montana
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 9.7% more
Groceries
pay 8.3% more
Transportation
pay 5.3% less
Housing
pay 21.1% more
Childcare
pay 21.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.5% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Wisconsin 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
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Montana generally does better on what about housing?, though Wisconsin leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Wisconsin 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
Wisconsin 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
Wisconsin generally does better on family life, though Montana leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
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 | Madison | Helena |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 33°/17°F (1°/-8°C) | 40°/18°F (4°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/46°F (20°/8°C) | 67°/41°F (19°/5°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/57°F (25°/14°C) | 81°/50°F (27°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 44°/28°F (7°/-2°C) | 45°/22°F (7°/-6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Madison | Helena |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26°/11°F (-3.1°/-11.6°C) | 33°/13°F (0.7°/-10.6°C) |
| Feb | 31°/15°F (-0.5°/-9.4°C) | 39°/17°F (3.7°/-8.4°C) |
| Mar | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-4.0°C) | 48°/24°F (9.0°/-4.3°C) |
| Apr | 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) | 58°/32°F (14.3°/0.1°C) |
| May | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) | 67°/41°F (19.5°/4.9°C) |
| Jun | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.4°C) | 76°/49°F (24.3°/9.2°C) |
| Jul | 82°/61°F (27.6°/16.1°C) | 86°/54°F (29.8°/12.4°C) |
| Aug | 79°/59°F (26.3°/15.0°C) | 85°/52°F (29.2°/11.2°C) |
| Sep | 72°/50°F (22.1°/10.1°C) | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.2°C) |
| Oct | 59°/39°F (14.9°/3.8°C) | 59°/33°F (14.8°/0.3°C) |
| Nov | 44°/28°F (6.7°/-2.1°C) | 43°/22°F (6.2°/-5.6°C) |
| Dec | 30°/16°F (-1.0°/-8.9°C) | 32°/12°F (-0.2°/-11.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Montana than Wisconsin?
Day-to-day costs in Montana run about 9% higher than Wisconsin 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 $20,361 in Montana for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Montana safe?
Wisconsin performs better than Montana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Montana compared to Wisconsin?
Montana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Wisconsin leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Montana compared to Wisconsin?
The average high temperature in Helena is 58°F, compared to 56°F in Madison. Helena receives around 11.2 in of rainfall per year, while Madison gets 34.5 in.
