Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Montana

You think about moving to Montana but want to get additional information about the state, living costs, housing, safety, public infrastructure, education, entertainment options, nature, job market and much more before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you the pros and cons of living in Montana in the following article.

Living in Montana – Overview

Advantages of Living in Montana

1. Montana is a pretty affordable state since living costs are quite low
2. Housing shortage is not a serious issue in most parts of Montana
3. Easy to find a decent place to stay in Montana
4. Rents are still affordable for the general public
5. Property prices in Montana are still reasonably low
6. The average person is still able to buy a decent home in Montana
7. Many people in Montana can still live the American dream
8. You don’t have to make a great income to afford a decent lifestyle in Montana
9. Rather low overall financial pressure for people living in Montana
10. It’s not all about the money in Montana
11. People in Montana may not be as career-focused as in many other states
12. You can meet many helpful people in Montana
13. Many people in Montana are genuine and honest
14. Easy to make friends for a lifetime in many regions of Montana
15. Montana is a great place to live an original lifestyle
16. You can go back to the roots by moving to Montana
17. Moving to Montana may make sense if you want to live self-sufficient
18. You can live in line with natural forces in Montana
19. Living in Montana gives you a feeling of peace
20. Moving to Montana may help you slow down
21. Montana is a rather relaxed state
22. People in Montana often don’t have to worry about money as much as in other states
23. You can spend your time going fishing, camping or do many other nice things in nature
24. People in Montana can spend lots of time outdoors
25. You can burn many calories in a rather natural manner
26. Many recreational places in Montana
27. Decent air quality in many parts of Montana
28. Montana may be a great place to retire
29. Moving to Montana makes sense if you love nature
30. Highly-qualified people have decent job prospects in Montana
31. Montana is a rather safe state
32. You can avoid big city life by moving to Montana
33. Montana may be an excellent place to raise your kids
34. You can teach your loved ones quite a lot about nature
35. You can enjoy a pretty quiet life in Montana
36. Montana is not flooded by tourists yet
37. Many people in Montana can save enough money for retirement
38. You don’t have to worry about traffic jams in Montana
39. You have more than enough public space for yourself
40. You can make many nice day trips in Montana
41. Montana may become increasingly popular in the future
42. Montana may still be underrated

Montana is a pretty affordable state since living costs are quite low

One advantage of living in Montana is that living costs are rather low compared to national average and while people moving to Washington D.C. and many other much more expensive regions have to spend lots of money on drinks and various other things of life, you may be able to afford much more for the same budget in most parts of Montana.

Housing shortage is not a serious issue in most parts of Montana

You should also know that overall demand for housing in most parts of Montana is rather low and housing shortage is therefore not a big problem right now and this will likely also be the case in the foreseeable future so there will be more than enough housing options for big families as well as for single households.

Easy to find a decent place to stay in Montana

Since housing shortage is not a big deal in most parts of Montana yet, chances are you will also find a pretty decent place to stay rather quickly and may not have to search as long as people moving to San Francisco or other more popular places where competition in the housing market is usually much higher.

Rents are still affordable for the general public

Thanks to the rather low demand for housing in Montana, also rents are still pretty affordable compared to the rest of the US and this means that people don’t have to spend a high fraction of their disposable income on housing yet but may have more money left to spend on other important things.

Property prices in Montana are still reasonably low

Not only rents are rather affordable, but also property prices in most parts of Montana are rather low so you don’t have to spend a fortune for a decent home and your mortgage rates may also be much lower compared to people buying a home in more expensive regions.

The average person is still able to buy a decent home in Montana

Thanks to rather low property prices, many people in Montana are still able to buy decent homes since they don’t have to save up as much equity as people in regions where property prices are much higher and may also have a better chance getting a mortgage.

Many people in Montana can still live the American dream

Another upside to living in Montana is that thanks to rather low living and housing costs, many people are also still able to live the classic American dream, including owning a nice home, a decent car and so on while the average person moving to San Diego or other more expensive places is no longer able to afford to live this kind of lifestyle and the middle class vanishes in many of those fancy regions.

You don’t have to make a great income to afford a decent lifestyle in Montana

Since housing and living costs are still reasonably low in most parts of Montana, you also don’t have to make a really good income to make a decent living in this region and this means that you also have to work fewer extra hours and may not have to work as intense as people living in more expensive regions where they just have to make far more money to survive.

Rather low overall financial pressure for people living in Montana

Since most things are rather affordable in Montana, also your overall financial pressure may be lower compared to people moving to more expensive regions and this may make you feel much more relaxed since you don’t always have to worry about money but may have more time for the nice things in life.

It’s not all about the money in Montana

In general, while many people in other states often just care about what you have and how much money you have in the bank, people in Montana usually care less about those things and rather care about your character and what type of person you really are so you can be your true self and don’t have to make a fortune to have a really great life and many nice social contacts in this region.

People in Montana may not be as career-focused as in many other states

Since people in Montana don’t care about money as much as in many other states, many of them are also not willing to sacrifice many nice things for their careers and may take more time to socialize with you which may make it easier to build a strong circle of friends within a rather short period time than in other states and busy regions where people often just rush from one meeting to the other.

You can meet many helpful people in Montana

Another benefit of living in Montana is that you can also meet many helpful people in this region and this can be great, especially during the first weeks when you might not be familiar with your new home yet and may need some assistance to get things going for you.

Many people in Montana are genuine and honest

You should also keep in mind that many people in Montana are still pretty real and less artificial than in many other places and this can be great since you will learn a lot about yourself from discussions with those people and may also be able to really grow in character due to that in the long run.

Easy to make friends for a lifetime in many regions of Montana

Since you will be able to make many great gals and guys in this region, some of those people will also become friends for a lifetime whom you may be able to really rely on even during the darkest periods of your life when you may urgently need emotional support to push through those difficult times.

Montana is a great place to live an original lifestyle

Another advantage of moving to Montana is that you can also live a pretty original lifestyle in this region.

In fact, many people in Montana still preserve the values of their ancestors and live the classic American way of life and you will hardly find another state where you will find as many noble traditions as in this region.

You can go back to the roots by moving to Montana

Since you will be surrounded by nice nature, you can also go back to the roots and live your life without our modern technologies but rather rely on fishing, foraging for food and other things to survive in this region as people did for thousands of years.

Moving to Montana may make sense if you want to live self-sufficient

In general, Montana may be a great state to live a self-sufficient lifestyle since you will find many natural places where you can get lots of food from and thanks to rather low property prices, you may also just buy a large piece of land and produce most things you need for daily life yourself without having to rely on classical stores anymore.

You can live in line with natural forces in Montana

Since Montana is characterized by nice mountains, rivers and other nature reserves, you can also really live in line with natural forces and can live a lifestyle your ancestors would have been proud to see and you can therefore also preserve some valuable ancient knowledge when it comes to surviving in the wild.

Living in Montana gives you a feeling of peace

You should also know that Montana provides a pretty peaceful atmosphere where you can really relax and reload your batteries so you may be prepared for the stressful times that may still lie ahead of you in your professional or private life.

Moving to Montana may help you slow down

Also in case you feel like being on the brink of burnout right now and the region you currently live in is just too busy for you, moving to Montana can be great for you since you may be able to slow down quite a lot and may find real inner peace in this region in the long run.

Montana is a rather relaxed state

Another upside to moving to Montana is that it is also a rather relaxed state where people are just not in the same rush as in many other regions and still know how to really enjoy their lives and you may be able to really learn about what matters to you in your own life by hanging out with those people.

People in Montana often don’t have to worry about money as much as in other states

Since most things in Montana are not really expensive, you will also not have to worry about money as much as in many other regions and this can really help you relax and also focus on the things that may be much more important in life so you don’t regret chasing money as many people out there do in their older years.

You can spend your time going fishing, camping or do many other nice things in nature

Thanks to the beautiful nature Montana has to offer, you can also go fishing, hunting, camping and do many other things in those natural environments so you can have a great time with your loved ones while you can still relax and reload your batteries at the same time and may be able to maintain a pretty balanced mindset.

People in Montana can spend lots of time outdoors

Since there are so many nice things to do in nature, many people in Montana also spend lots of time outdoors and this gives them the opportunity to get lots of oxygen so their bodies and their brains get lots of oxygen and may work better compared to people just sitting indoors all day long.

You can burn many calories in a rather natural manner

Another benefit of moving to Montana is that you may also be able to burn lots of calories by doing those nature activities and you may therefore no longer have to go to the gym while you may still be able to stay fit and in shape in the long run.

Many recreational places in Montana

Also within the big cities, you will find many parks and other recreational spaces where you can relax and reload your batteries during lunch break or after work so you may be able to stay balanced and may not get burned out as quickly as people in regions where they may not have this luxury.

Decent air quality in many parts of Montana

You will also find pretty decent air quality in most regions of Montana and while you may not consider this important at first, you should still know that good air quality may greatly lower your risk of suffering from serious health conditions later on.

Montana may be a great place to retire

Since there are many nice and free things to do in nature and living and housing costs are still fairly reasonable in most parts of Montana, Montana may also be a great place to retire even for retirees who may not receive a high pension but may still be able to live a decent lifestyle in this region.

Moving to Montana makes sense if you love nature

In general, if you are the type of person who really loves nature, moving to Montana may make quite a lot of sense for you since you will never run out of nature activities and can just enjoy your life to its fullest so you may not have any regrets once you get older and look back on your life.

Highly-qualified people have decent job prospects in Montana

As long as you have solid education, chances are you will also find a decent job in Montana sooner or later and may not have to worry about getting laid off as much as people moving to Detroit or other regions where unemployment rates may be much higher on average.

Montana is a rather safe state

You should also not forget that Montana is a rather safe state and crime rates are pretty low compared to the rest of the US and moving to Montana may therefore make sense for you if you want to see your kids grow up in a rather safe environment.

You can avoid big city life by moving to Montana

While big city life can be great, it also implies many problems related to poverty, homelessness and so on and by moving to Montana, you just don’t have to deal with many of those issues and may be able to live your life in a pretty romantic scenery and may forget about all the bad things that may be going on in the world right now.

Montana may be an excellent place to raise your kids

Since there are many nice nature activities you can do with your kids and Montana is also a rather safe state, it may also be a great place to raise your kids in general since your kids may not be confronted with many unpleasant things they might be in bigger metropolitan regions and your kids may just be able to grow up in a healthier atmosphere where you can also teach them a lot about nature and why it is important to protect our planet so they may turn into great and responsible adults later on.

You can teach your loved ones quite a lot about nature

In general, Montana is also a great place to learn about nature and also to teach people many things about our planet and you may therefore make it your mission to convince as many people as possible about the importance of protecting our environment so we can hand over a livable future to the next generations.

You can enjoy a pretty quiet life in Montana

Moving to Montana may also make sense for you in case you may just not get happy in a place where you will be surrounded by loud car noises or annoying people quite often since you can live your life in a pretty quiet environment and can also spend lots of time in nice nature reserves where you can be on your own quite often.

Montana is not flooded by tourists yet

Since Montan is not flooded by tourists yet, you will also not run into large groups of tourists as you might do in many other big metropolitan regions and may therefore be able to live your life in a much more efficient and peaceful manner.

Many people in Montana can save enough money for retirement

Thanks to rather low living and housing costs, many people in Montana are also able to save and invest enough money for retirement and once they get older, they may not be at the same great risk of suffering from old-age poverty as people in much more expensive regions who often can’t save enough money may have to deal with.

You don’t have to worry about traffic jams in Montana

Since Montana is not the most crowded state, traffic jams are also rather rare and you will therefore be able to get around by car in a pretty efficient manner and may not lose as much time in traffic as people living in L.A. or other much more congested regions.

You have more than enough public space for yourself

Since Montana is not a crowded region, you also have enough space to hang out in public on your own and may not feel like a fish in a can as you might do in bigger metropolitan regions.

You can make many nice day trips in Montana

Since there are so many beautiful places to visit in nature, people in Montana can also make more than enough day trips with their loved ones and may be able to enjoy beautiful scenery without even having to pay for it.

Montana may become increasingly popular in the future

Since Montana has so many nice things to offer, moving to Montana may also become increasingly popular for people living in other states right now and in case more people move to Montana, this region may become even more interesting since you would be able to experience even more cultural influences and overall quality of life may increase in the long run.

Montana may still be underrated

Since you can enjoy many nice things at a rather affordable price, Montana may still be considered an underrated place to live and by moving to Montana right now, you may be able to make many nice experiences without having to pay as much for those things as in most other regions.

Now that you know the reasons for moving to Montana, we also have to take a look at the drawbacks of living in Montana so you will get a more realistic picture of reality and will be better able to decide for yourself whether you still want to move to Montana or rather want to move to Georgia or other nice places instead.

Disadvantages of Living in Montana

1. Income level in Montana is rather low
2. Low-qualified people often have a hard time finding decent jobs
3. You may miss cultural diversity in many parts of Montana
4. Big city life in Montana is rather limited
5. Public transport is not great in most parts of Montana
6. People who can’t drive a car may not be mobile enough to manage their lives
7. You may have trouble finding decent medical treatment in the rural parts of Montana
8. Montana doesn’t have a coastline
9. It can be pretty cold in winter in many parts of Montana
10. You may miss great nightlife in Montana
11. Many remote regions in Montana
12. Some people have a rather poor internet connection
13. Limited entertainment options in Montana
14. Not as many great sports teams as in other states
15. You may get bored with the Montana lifestyle sooner or later
16. Not many great shopping options in Montana
17. Rather poor public infrastructure in the rural parts of Montana
18. Montana may not attract as many talented people as many other states
19. Building a strong business network may be a challenge
20. Not as many big corporations to work for as in many other regions
21. You may miss great art scenes in many parts of Montana
22. Hard to find really good education outside the big cities of Montana
23. Many young people may consider leaving Montana
24. Montana may not be the greatest place for students
25. Moving to Montana may not be great if you don’t like nature
26. Some regions of Montana are still pretty conservative and traditional
27. Managing your daily life can be a challenge in many rural parts of Montana
28. Hard to meet many international tourists in Montana
29. Your loved ones may not understand your decision of moving to Montana

Income level in Montana is rather low

One problem with moving to Montana is that the overall income level in this state is rather low and you will have a pretty hard time making really good money from your job and it may therefore take you much longer to get wealthy or even rich in this region as an employee.

Low-qualified people often have a hard time finding decent jobs

Since many regions in Montana have to deal with high unemployment rates, you may also have a hard time finding a decent job in case you don’t have proper education and may also always have to worry about losing your job and this may translate into serious mental problems sooner or later.

You may miss cultural diversity in many parts of Montana

While you may be able to enjoy some level of cultural diversity in the urban parts of Montana, you may miss cultural diversity in the rural regions of Montana since people are often still pretty traditional and new cultural influences may take a long time to really propagate.

Big city life in Montana is rather limited

Moving to Montana may also not be a great idea for you in case you love big city life since there are just not many big cities in Montana and you may just not get the same feeling as people moving to NYC or other much bigger and much more vibrant places.

Public transport is not great in most parts of Montana

Another downside to moving to Montana is that public transport is not really great in most regions and getting around by bus or train may just not be practical since you would just lose far too much time and public transport is often also pretty unreliable in many regions.

People who can’t drive a car may not be mobile enough to manage their lives

Due to poor public transport, you may also urgently need a car to get around and this can be a real problem for people who are no longer able to drive since those people will often not be mobile enough to manage their lives in an efficient manner.

You may have trouble finding decent medical treatment in the rural parts of Montana

While you may find decent doctors and hospitals in the biggest cities of Montana, you should still not expect to find excellent medical treatment in the rural regions and it may also take you some time to get medical treatment during urgent situations when you might need treatment as quickly as possible if you live in rather remote regions that are not well-connected to the world.

Montana doesn’t have a coastline

Since Montana doesn’t have a coastline, you will also not have the luxury of going surfing as people moving to Long Beach or other coastal regions have and your overall quality of life may therefore be lower due to that in the long run.

It can be pretty cold in winter in many parts of Montana

Another disadvantage of moving to Montana is that it can be pretty cold during winter months and if you are the type of person who can’t stand cold weather at all, you may be better off moving to El Paso or other regions where it is much warmer all year long.

You may miss great nightlife in Montana

You should also not expect the same great nightlife as people living in Las Vegas or other more vibrant regions are able to enjoy on a regular basis.

In fact, the selection of great bars and clubs is rather limited in many regions of Montana and party people may just not get happy with overall nightlife in most parts of Montana in the long run.

Many remote regions in Montana

You should also not forget that there are many rather remote regions in Montana that are just not well-connected to public infrastructure and in case you want to move to those regions, you should be aware of the fact that overall supply of material goods may be rather limited and you may miss out on many nice things you may be used to from big metropolitan regions.

Some people have a rather poor internet connection

Another problem with living in Montana is that many people in rather remote regions also have pretty poor internet connection and may therefore not be able to work from home.

In fact, having no internet may greatly prohibit you from succeeding not only in your professional but also in your private life since you may have a much harder time staying connected to the world in general.

Limited entertainment options in Montana

You should also know that Montana may just not be the most exciting state and entertainment options may be rather limited in many regions so you may not know what to do with your leisure in the long run.

Not as many great sports teams as in other states

While there are some nice sports teams in Montana, you will still not find as many sports teams on a world-class level as people moving to Florida or other regions where there is much more money invested in professional sports.

You may get bored with the Montana lifestyle sooner or later

Since Montana may not be the most exciting state and nightlife is not great in many regions, you may also get bored with your life in Montana in the long run if you are the type of person who just needs action and adrenaline on a regular basis.

Not many great shopping options in Montana

You should also not expect to find as many great shopping options in Montana as in many other places in the US and the selection of fancy boutiques may also be rather limited.

Rather poor public infrastructure in the rural parts of Montana

Another downside to living in Montana is that overall public infrastructure may not be great in many regions and you may therefore have a much harder time living your life in an efficient manner compared to people moving to states where much more money is invested into those things.

Montana may not attract as many talented people as many other states

Since there are not as many great and well-paying jobs in Montana as in many other regions, Montana may also not attract as many talented and ambitious people and if you have great plans for your future and want to work with the best of the best in technology, you may be better off moving to Oakland or other regions close to Silicon Valley instead.

Building a strong business network may be a challenge

Since you may have a hard time meeting many ambitious and talented people in many parts of Montana, you may also have a hard time building a strong network of people and your career progress may therefore be much slower compared to other regions where it would be much easier to connect with people.

Not as many big corporations to work for as in many other regions

You will also not find as many great big companies to work for in Montana as in many other states and if you aspire to a fancy corporate career, you may be better off moving to a different region where more big corporations have their headquarters.

You may miss great art scenes in many parts of Montana

Another disadvantage of living in Montana is that you will also not find as many great art scenes as in many other states and if you are an artist and want to hang out with many like-minded people, you may be better off moving to New Orleans or other parts of the US where art usually plays a much bigger role.

Hard to find really good education outside the big cities of Montana

While you may find decent schools and colleges in the big cities of Montana, you may not find great education in many rural regions and may therefore have to drive quite long distances to bring your kids to and pick them up from school and this may become really annoying in the long run.

Many young people may consider leaving Montana

Since there may not be as many great things to do for young people as in many other regions, many people of the younger generation also consider leaving Montana and if you are still rather young, you may not be able to hang out with as many other people of your age as you might have wanted in many regions of Montana.

Montana may not be the greatest place for students

Since there are not many really great colleges and overall student life is rather limited, Montana may also not be the greatest place to settle down for tourists and you may rather want to study in Chicago and other places where you may be able to enjoy your student life much more.

Moving to Montana may not be great if you don’t like nature

Before moving to Montana, you should also really ask yourself whether you really like nature or not since in case the answer is no, you may just not get happy with the Montana lifestyle since many leisure activities are still done in nature.

Some regions of Montana are still pretty conservative and traditional

You should also not forget that many regions in Montana are still rather conservative and people in many rural regions of Montana may not appreciate alternative ways of life as much as in the urban parts and you may therefore also have to adjust your behavior quite a lot to fit the cultural and social norms in many regions.

Managing your daily life can be a challenge in many rural parts of Montana

Since distances are often pretty long and public infrastructure may not be great in many rural parts of Montana, it may also take you lots of time to manage your private and professional life since you may have to drive long hours on a regular basis and may not have as much time to spend on nicer things compared to people living in more urban regions.

Hard to meet many international tourists in Montana

You should also know that Montana is not the most popular place among international tourists and you may therefore have a much harder time talking to people from all over the world compared to people living in Chicago or other places that are frequented by many tourists on a regular basis.

Your loved ones may not understand your decision of moving to Montana

Since Montana may not be the most popular place yet, your loved ones may also not understand your decision of moving to Montana and you may therefore have to spend lots of time convincing them that this might be a good idea which may become really annoying in the long run.

Top 10 Moving To Montana Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Montana A Good Place To Live?

While Montana can be a great place to live since living and housing costs are reasonably low and you can enjoy many nice nature activities, you should still note that public transport is not great, it is hard to find really good education and job prospects and income levels may be pretty poor in many regions with high unemployment rates.

In the end, it is on you to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of moving to Montana so you can make the best possible decision according to your individual preferences.

Most Popular Cities To Live In Montana – Comparison

Alternative States To Live

If you no longer want to move to Montana, you may also want to have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Minnesota

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Mississippi

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Missouri

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/MT

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.