Moving from Montana to New Mexico
Montana to New Mexico is a move of about 1,112 miles. Median rent is $1,067 a month in New Mexico and $1,081 in Montana, and the median home is $248,100 against $375,800. State income tax is up to 5.90% in New Mexico and up to 5.65% in Montana. Property tax runs 0.70% of home value in New Mexico and 0.72% in Montana.
Moving to New Mexico costs
About the same
Montana and New Mexico work out within $50/mo of each other, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
Montana and New Mexico cost about the same to live in
Homes cost 1.5x more in one than the other, yet once taxes and everyday costs are counted the two land within $50 a month of each other. The sticker price on a house is a poor guide to what a place actually costs.
Montana vs New Mexico at a glance
| Montana | New Mexico | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $375,800 | $248,100 |
| Median rent | $1,081/mo | $1,067/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 5.65% | Up to 5.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.72% | 0.70% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 96 |
| Utilities | 72 | 78 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
Monthly cost of living: Montana vs New Mexico
| Monthly | MT | NM | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,081 | $1,067 | -$14 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $263 | $216 | -$47 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending)Biggest factor | $0 | $71 | +$71 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,760 | $1,763 | +$3 |
| Utilities | $295 | $318 | +$23 |
| Total | +$36 | ||
Cost to move from Montana to New Mexico
$2,400 to $5,300
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $650 to $950, against roughly $400 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 3-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Billings is not Montana-average and Albuquerque is not New Mexico-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
What jobs pay in New Mexico, after the cost of living
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.