State comparison
Montana vs Rhode Island: which state is better to live in?
Montana costs a median household about $3,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Rhode Island, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,610 a year against $5,590 in Rhode Island.
Montana
Low tax burden · COL index 104
Wins 9 categories
Rhode Island
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Montana vs Rhode Island
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. Rhode Island has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.99%, which works out to 3.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,861 a year. Rhode Island wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.58% of home value a year in Montana and 1.30% in Rhode Island (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,610 against $5,590, so Montana has the lower rate.
Montana has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 7.00% in Rhode Island.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,010 a year in Montana, $10,017 in Rhode Island. Montana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Montana's cost of living index is 104 and Rhode Island's is 114, where 100 is the national average; Montana is about 10% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $450K in Montana and $430K in Rhode Island (Zillow, 2024), a $20K gap in Rhode Island's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,450 a month in Montana and $1,800 in Rhode Island.
Home insurance averages $1,500 a year in Montana and $1,400 in Rhode Island, so Rhode Island is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 398 incidents per 100,000 residents in Montana and 237 in Rhode Island (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Rhode Island is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 68% lower. Property crime is 2,298 per 100,000 in Montana against 1,527 in Rhode Island, again favoring Rhode Island.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.5 years in Montana and 78.1 in Rhode Island (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.6-year edge for Rhode Island. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Montana's health system 30th of 50 and Rhode Island's 4th, so Rhode Island scores better on care.
9.2% of Montana residents have no health insurance against 4.7% in Rhode Island, which favors Rhode Island. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Montana's K-12 schools 22nd in the country and Rhode Island's 13th, 9 places apart in Rhode Island'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 Rhode Island went to Harris by 17 points.
Montana has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Rhode Island has may-issue carry permits and a grade of B, so Rhode Island 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 $14.00 in Rhode Island.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Montana (wildfire, blizzard, drought) and moderate in Rhode Island (hurricane, nor-easter, flood). Annual average air quality index is 28 in Montana and 32 in Rhode Island (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
9
Montana
7
Rhode Island
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Montana or Rhode Island better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Montana on taxes ($7,010 a year for a median household against $10,017); Montana on everyday costs (index 104 against 114); Rhode Island on safety (237 violent crimes per 100,000 against 398); Rhode Island on schools (ranked 13th against 22nd).
Which is cheaper, Montana or Rhode Island?
Montana is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 104 against 114. The median home is $450K in Montana and $430K in Rhode Island (2024). On state and local taxes Montana saves a median household about $3,000 a year.
Does Montana or Rhode Island have lower taxes?
Montana. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,010 a year in Montana ($4,400 income tax, $2,610 property tax on the median home and $0 in sales tax) and $10,017 in Rhode Island ($2,861 income tax, $5,590 property tax on the median home and $1,566 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Montana or Rhode Island?
Rhode Island, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 398 per 100,000 residents in Montana and 237 in Rhode Island; property crime is 2,298 against 1,527.
Which has better schools, Montana or Rhode Island?
Rhode Island. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Montana 22nd of 50 for K-12 and Rhode Island 13th.
Is Montana or Rhode Island better for retirees?
Montana is friendlier to retirees on paper. Montana taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Rhode Island taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,610 a year in Montana and $5,590 in Rhode Island.