Moving from Ohio 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 Ohio and Montana, side by side.
Moving to Montana costs about
About the same
Ohio and Montana work out within $50/mo of each other
Worth knowing
Homes cost 1.7x more in Montana, but the tax rate is lower
Montana taxes property at 0.72% against 1.31% in Ohio. Despite the far higher prices, you would actually pay LESS property tax there: about $2,706 a year against $2,814.
Ohio vs Montana at a glance
| Ohio | Montana | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $214,800 | $375,800 |
| Median rent | $1,034/mo | $1,081/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 2.75% | Up to 5.65% |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 0.72% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 94 | 96 |
| Utilities | 96 | 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 | OH | MT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,034 | $1,081 | +$47 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $118 | $263 | +$145 |
| Local income tax (state average) | $105 | None | -$105 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $84 | $0 | -$84 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,717 | $1,760 | +$43 |
| Utilities | $391 | $295 | -$96 |
| Total | -$50 | ||
What the move itself costs
$3,100 to $6,800
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $800 to $1,150, against roughly $600 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 4-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Cincinnati is not Ohio-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.