State comparison
Arizona vs Montana: which state is better to live in?
Arizona costs a median household about $490 a year less in state and local taxes than Montana, mostly because its income tax takes 2.5% of a median income against 5.0% in Montana.
Arizona
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 5 categories
Montana
Low tax burden · COL index 104
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Arizona vs Montana
Arizona has a flat 2.5% income tax, which works out to 2.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,865 a year. 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. Arizona wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.51% of home value a year in Arizona and 0.58% in Montana (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,142 against $2,610, so Arizona has the lower rate.
Montana has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 8.37% in Arizona.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,879 a year in Arizona, $6,373 in Montana. Arizona is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Arizona's cost of living index is 102 and Montana's is 104, where 100 is the national average; Arizona is about 2% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $420K in Arizona and $450K in Montana (Zillow, 2024), a $30K gap in Arizona's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Arizona and $1,450 in Montana.
Home insurance averages $1,850 a year in Arizona and $1,500 in Montana, so Montana is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 474 incidents per 100,000 residents in Arizona and 398 in Montana (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Montana is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 19% lower. Property crime is 2,624 per 100,000 in Arizona against 2,298 in Montana, again favoring Montana.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.3 years in Arizona and 76.5 in Montana (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.2-year edge for Montana. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Arizona's health system 34th of 50 and Montana's 30th, so Montana scores better on care.
10.8% of Arizona 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 Arizona's K-12 schools 45th in the country and Montana's 22nd, 23 places apart in Montana's favor. Arizona runs a school-choice voucher program; Montana does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Arizona went to Trump by 5 points and Montana went to Trump by 13 points.
Arizona has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Montana has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Arizona and protected by state law in Montana, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.35 an hour in Arizona and $10.30 in Montana.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Arizona (wildfire, extreme-heat, drought) and moderate in Montana (wildfire, blizzard, drought). Annual average air quality index is 46 in Arizona 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
Arizona
10
Montana
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Arizona or Montana better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Arizona on taxes ($5,879 a year for a median household against $6,373); Arizona on everyday costs (index 102 against 104); Montana on safety (398 violent crimes per 100,000 against 474); Montana on schools (ranked 22nd against 45th).
Which is cheaper, Arizona or Montana?
Arizona is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 102 against 104. The median home is $420K in Arizona and $450K in Montana (2024). On state and local taxes Arizona saves a median household about $490 a year.
Does Arizona or Montana have lower taxes?
Arizona. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,879 a year in Arizona ($1,865 income tax, $2,142 property tax on the median home and $1,873 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, Arizona or Montana?
Montana, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 474 per 100,000 residents in Arizona and 398 in Montana; property crime is 2,624 against 2,298.
Which has better schools, Arizona or Montana?
Montana. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arizona 45th of 50 for K-12 and Montana 22nd. Arizona also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Arizona or Montana better for retirees?
Arizona is friendlier to retirees on paper. Arizona does not tax Social Security, partly 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 $2,142 a year in Arizona and $2,610 in Montana.