State comparison
Montana vs California: 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.
Montana
Low tax burden · COL index 104
Wins 11 categories
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: Montana vs California
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 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. California wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.58% of home value a year in Montana and 0.71% in California (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,610 against $5,609, 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: $6,373 a year in Montana, $10,957 in California. Montana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Montana's cost of living index is 104 and California's is 142, where 100 is the national average; Montana is about 37% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $450K in Montana and $790K in California (Zillow, 2024), a $340K gap in Montana's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,450 a month in Montana and $2,300 in California.
Home insurance averages $1,500 a year in Montana and $2,100 in California, so Montana is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 398 incidents per 100,000 residents in Montana and 499 in California (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Montana is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 25% lower. Property crime is 2,298 per 100,000 in Montana against 2,027 in California, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.5 years in Montana and 79.2 in California (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.7-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Montana's health system 30th of 50 and California's 13th, so California scores better on care.
9.2% of Montana residents have no health insurance against 6.8% in California, which favors California. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Montana's K-12 schools 22nd in the country and California's 20th, 2 places apart in California's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Montana went to Trump by 13 points and California went to Harris by 20 points.
Montana has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; California has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A, 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 $10.30 an hour in Montana and $16.00 in California.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Montana (wildfire, blizzard, drought) and very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought), so Montana is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 28 in Montana and 62 in California (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
11
Montana
5
California
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Montana or California 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, Montana or California?
Montana is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 104 against 142. The median home is $450K in Montana and $790K in California (2024). On state and local taxes Montana saves a median household about $4,600 a year.
Does Montana or California have lower taxes?
Montana. A household earning $74,580 pays about $6,373 a year in Montana ($3,763 income tax, $2,610 property tax on the median home and $0 in sales tax) and $10,957 in California ($3,375 income tax, $5,609 property tax on the median home and $1,973 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Montana or California?
Montana, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 398 per 100,000 residents in Montana and 499 in California; property crime is 2,298 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, Montana or California?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Montana 22nd of 50 for K-12 and California 20th.
Is Montana or California better for retirees?
California is friendlier to retirees on paper. Montana taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,610 a year in Montana and $5,609 in California.