Moving from Montana to South Dakota
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 Montana and South Dakota, side by side.
Moving to South Dakota costs about
-$320/mo
less than Montana each month, renting
Worth knowing
The move pays for itself in about 7 months
Moving costs somewhere around $2,199, and South Dakota runs about $320 a month cheaper. After roughly 7 months you are ahead.
Montana vs South Dakota at a glance
| Montana | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $375,800 | $257,400 |
| Median rent | $1,081/mo | $946/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 5.65% | No state income tax |
| Property tax rate | 0.72% | 1.06% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 95 |
| Utilities | 72 | 80 |
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 | MT | SD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,081 | $946 | -$135 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $263 | $0 | -$263 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $0 | $59 | +$59 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,760 | $1,750 | -$10 |
| Utilities | $295 | $325 | +$30 |
| Total | -$320 | ||
What the move itself costs
$1,800 to $4,200
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $450 to $650, against roughly $200 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Billings is not Montana-average and Sioux Falls is not South Dakota-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.