State comparison
Alaska vs Montana: which state is better to live in?
Alaska costs a median household about $2,400 a year less in state and local taxes than Montana, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 126 against 104).
Alaska
Low tax burden · COL index 126
Wins 5 categories
Montana
Low tax burden · COL index 104
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Alaska vs Montana
Alaska has no state income tax. Montana has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.9%, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,763 a year. Alaska wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.04% of home value a year in Alaska and 0.58% in Montana (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,536 against $2,610, so Montana has the lower rate.
Montana has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 1.76% in Alaska.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $3,930 a year in Alaska, $6,373 in Montana. Alaska is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Alaska's cost of living index is 126 and Montana's is 104, where 100 is the national average; Montana is about 21% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $340K in Alaska and $450K in Montana (Zillow, 2024), a $110K gap in Alaska's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month in Alaska and $1,450 in Montana.
Home insurance averages $1,400 a year in Alaska and $1,500 in Montana, so Alaska is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 838 incidents per 100,000 residents in Alaska and 398 in Montana (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Montana is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 111% lower. Property crime is 2,544 per 100,000 in Alaska against 2,298 in Montana, again favoring Montana.
Health
Life expectancy is 75 years in Alaska and 76.5 in Montana (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.5-year edge for Montana. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Alaska's health system 48th of 50 and Montana's 30th, so Montana scores better on care.
12.1% of Alaska residents have no health insurance against 9.2% in Montana, which favors Montana. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alaska's K-12 schools 35th in the country and Montana's 22nd, 13 places apart in Montana's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Alaska went to Trump by 13 points and Montana went to Trump by 13 points.
Alaska has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Montana has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $11.73 an hour in Alaska and $10.30 in Montana.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Alaska (earthquake, tsunami, wildfire) and moderate in Montana (wildfire, blizzard, drought). Annual average air quality index is 29 in Alaska and 28 in Montana (under 50 is good), favoring Montana.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
5
Alaska
10
Montana
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Alaska or Montana better to live in?
Montana wins more of the measures that decide a move. Alaska on taxes ($3,930 a year for a median household against $6,373); Montana on everyday costs (index 104 against 126); Montana on safety (398 violent crimes per 100,000 against 838); Montana on schools (ranked 22nd against 35th).
Which is cheaper, Alaska or Montana?
Montana is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 104 against 126. The median home is $340K in Alaska and $450K in Montana (2024). On state and local taxes Alaska saves a median household about $2,400 a year.
Does Alaska or Montana have lower taxes?
Alaska. A household earning $74,580 pays about $3,930 a year in Alaska ($0 income tax, $3,536 property tax on the median home and $394 in sales tax) and $6,373 in Montana ($3,763 income tax, $2,610 property tax on the median home and $0 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Alaska or Montana?
Montana, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 838 per 100,000 residents in Alaska and 398 in Montana; property crime is 2,544 against 2,298.
Which has better schools, Alaska or Montana?
Montana. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alaska 35th of 50 for K-12 and Montana 22nd.
Is Alaska or Montana better for retirees?
Alaska is friendlier to retirees on paper. Alaska does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Montana taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,536 a year in Alaska and $2,610 in Montana.