State comparison
Missouri vs Montana: which state is better to live in?
Montana costs a median household about $320 a year less in state and local taxes than Missouri, mostly because it has no sales tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 104 against 86).
Missouri
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 6 categories
Montana
Low tax burden · COL index 104
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Missouri vs Montana
Missouri has a graduated income tax topping out at 4.7%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,356 a year. Montana has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.9%, which works out to 5.9% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,400 a year. Missouri wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.88% of home value a year in Missouri and 0.58% in Montana (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,112 against $2,610, so Montana has the lower rate.
Montana has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 8.33% in Missouri.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,332 a year in Missouri, $7,010 in Montana. Montana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Missouri's cost of living index is 86 and Montana's is 104, where 100 is the national average; Missouri is about 21% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $240K in Missouri and $450K in Montana (Zillow, 2024), a $210K gap in Missouri's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in Missouri and $1,450 in Montana.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in Missouri and $1,500 in Montana, so Montana is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 581 incidents per 100,000 residents in Missouri and 398 in Montana (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Montana is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 46% lower. Property crime is 2,695 per 100,000 in Missouri against 2,298 in Montana, again favoring Montana.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.3 years in Missouri and 76.5 in Montana (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.2-year edge for Montana. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Missouri's health system 43rd of 50 and Montana's 30th, so Montana scores better on care.
8.2% of Missouri residents have no health insurance against 9.2% in Montana, which favors Missouri. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Missouri's K-12 schools 33rd in the country and Montana's 22nd, 11 places apart in Montana's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Missouri went to Trump by 19 points and Montana went to Trump by 13 points.
Missouri 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 Missouri and protected by state law in Montana, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $12.30 an hour in Missouri and $10.30 in Montana.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Missouri (tornado, flood, ice-storm) and moderate in Montana (wildfire, blizzard, drought), so Montana is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 38 in Missouri 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 rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
6
Missouri
9
Montana
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Missouri or Montana better to live in?
Montana wins more of the measures that decide a move. Montana on taxes ($7,010 a year for a median household against $7,332); Missouri on everyday costs (index 86 against 104); Montana on safety (398 violent crimes per 100,000 against 581); Montana on schools (ranked 22nd against 33rd).
Which is cheaper, Missouri or Montana?
Missouri is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 86 against 104. The median home is $240K in Missouri and $450K in Montana (2024). On state and local taxes Montana saves a median household about $320 a year.
Does Missouri or Montana have lower taxes?
Montana. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,332 a year in Missouri ($3,356 income tax, $2,112 property tax on the median home and $1,864 in sales tax) and $7,010 in Montana ($4,400 income tax, $2,610 property tax on the median home and $0 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Missouri or Montana?
Montana, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 581 per 100,000 residents in Missouri and 398 in Montana; property crime is 2,695 against 2,298.
Which has better schools, Missouri or Montana?
Montana. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Missouri 33rd of 50 for K-12 and Montana 22nd.
Is Missouri or Montana better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Missouri taxes 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 $2,112 a year in Missouri and $2,610 in Montana.