State comparison
California vs Montana: which state is better to live in?
Montana costs a median household about $4,600 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,610 a year against $5,609 in California.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 5 categories
Montana
Low tax burden · COL index 104
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: California vs Montana
California has a graduated income tax topping out at 13.3%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,375 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. California wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 0.58% in Montana (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $2,610, so Montana has the lower rate.
Montana has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $10,957 a year in California, $6,373 in Montana. Montana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Montana's is 104, where 100 is the national average; Montana is about 37% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $450K in Montana (Zillow, 2024), a $340K gap in Montana's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,450 in Montana.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $1,500 in Montana, so Montana is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 398 in Montana (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Montana is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 25% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 2,298 in Montana, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 76.5 in Montana (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.7-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Montana's 30th, so California scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 9.2% in Montana, which favors California. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California's K-12 schools 20th in the country and Montana's 22nd, 2 places apart in California's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election California went to Harris by 20 points and Montana went to Trump by 13 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Montana has permitless carry and a grade of F, so California regulates guns more tightly and Montana is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in California and $10.30 in Montana.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and moderate in Montana (wildfire, blizzard, drought), so Montana is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California 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
California
11
Montana
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Montana better to live in?
Montana wins more of the measures that decide a move. Montana on taxes ($6,373 a year for a median household against $10,957); Montana on everyday costs (index 104 against 142); Montana on safety (398 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); California on schools (ranked 20th against 22nd).
Which is cheaper, California or Montana?
Montana is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 104 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $450K in Montana (2024). On state and local taxes Montana saves a median household about $4,600 a year.
Does California or Montana have lower taxes?
Montana. A household earning $74,580 pays about $10,957 a year in California ($3,375 income tax, $5,609 property tax on the median home and $1,973 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, California or Montana?
Montana, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 398 in Montana; property crime is 2,027 against 2,298.
Which has better schools, California or Montana?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Montana 22nd.
Is California or Montana better for retirees?
California is friendlier to retirees on paper. California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income 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 $5,609 a year in California and $2,610 in Montana.