Moving from Indiana to Montana
Everyone compares rent and groceries. Almost nobody compares the two numbers that actually decide whether a move works: state income tax and property tax. Here is Indiana and Montana, side by side.
Moving to Montana costs about
-$100/mo
less than Indiana each month, renting
Worth knowing
Homes cost 1.7x more in Montana, but the tax rate is lower
Montana taxes property at 0.72% against 0.74% in Indiana. Despite the far higher prices, the yearly bill only rises to about $2,706 from $1,615.
Indiana vs Montana at a glance
| Indiana | Montana | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $218,200 | $375,800 |
| Median rent | $1,062/mo | $1,081/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 2.95% | Up to 5.65% |
| Property tax rate | 0.74% | 0.72% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 96 |
| Utilities | 86 | 72 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
What changes each month
| Monthly | IN | MT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,062 | $1,081 | +$19 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $194 | $263 | +$69 |
| Local income tax (state average) | $41 | None | -$41 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending)Biggest factor | $102 | $0 | -$102 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,751 | $1,760 | +$9 |
| Utilities | $349 | $295 | -$54 |
| Total | -$100 | ||
What the move itself costs
$2,900 to $6,300
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $700 to $1,000, against roughly $450 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 3-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Indianapolis is not Indiana-average and Billings is not Montana-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.