2026
Moving from Montana?
Where you keep the most after tax and rent. The comparison starts in Billings, MT, the largest metro in Montana on this site. One adult, one bedroom, $80,000 held the same in every city. State income tax there is $3,605 a year, and $2,020 a month is left after tax and rent.
No state income tax
The strongest leftover metro in each state that does not tax wages. The tax change is versus Montana on $80,000.
- Anchorage, AK
$1,705/mo left · state tax −$3,605/yr
- Sebring, FL
$2,422/mo left · state tax −$3,605/yr
- Carson City, NV
$2,130/mo left · state tax −$3,605/yr
- Manchester, NH
$1,539/mo left · state tax −$3,605/yr
- Sioux Falls, SD
$2,549/mo left · state tax −$3,605/yr
- Morristown, TN
$2,592/mo left · state tax −$3,605/yr
- Lubbock, TX
$2,695/mo left · state tax −$3,605/yr
- Spokane, WA
$2,287/mo left · state tax −$3,605/yr
- Cheyenne, WY
$2,358/mo left · state tax −$3,605/yr
Where people from Montana moved
IRS migration, 2022-2023. Outflows from metros in Montana to metros in other states, summed. The move link starts in the city that sent the most returns on that route.
| Destination | Returns | People | State tax change | Left over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WAfrom Bozeman | 393 | 532 | −$3,605/yr | $1,500/mo |
| Phoenix, AZfrom Billings | 347 | 525 | −$1,970/yr | $1,954/mo |
| Spokane, WAfrom Missoula | 189 | 294 | −$3,605/yr | $2,287/mo |
| Boise, IDfrom Bozeman | 182 | 275 | +$120/yr | $1,765/mo |
| Las Vegas, NVfrom Bozeman | 106 | 179 | −$3,605/yr | $2,080/mo |
| Denver, COfrom Bozeman | 105 | 138 | −$727/yr | $1,587/mo |
| Salt Lake City, UTfrom Bozeman | 100 | 123 | +$35/yr | $1,866/mo |
| Los Angeles, CAfrom Bozeman | 83 | 123 | −$138/yr | $428/mo |
| Portland, ORfrom Missoula | 81 | 88 | +$2,854/yr | $1,381/mo |
| San Diego, CAfrom Bozeman | 73 | 93 | −$138/yr | $461/mo |
Where the paycheck goes furthest
Top 25 metros outside Montana by monthly leftover on $80,000. Versus Billings.
| Rank | Metro | Left over | Vs Billings | State tax change | Paid to move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ames, IA | $2,706/mo | +$686/mo | −$1,120/yr | — |
| 2 | Fargo, ND | $2,705/mo | +$685/mo | −$3,275/yr | — |
| 3 | Lubbock, TX | $2,695/mo | +$675/mo | −$3,605/yr | — |
| 4 | Wichita Falls, TX | $2,685/mo | +$665/mo | −$3,605/yr | — |
| 5 | McAllen, TX | $2,679/mo | +$659/mo | −$3,605/yr | — |
| 6 | Longview, TX | $2,672/mo | +$652/mo | −$3,605/yr | — |
| 7 | Amarillo, TX | $2,652/mo | +$632/mo | −$3,605/yr | — |
| 8 | Grand Forks, ND | $2,646/mo | +$626/mo | −$3,275/yr | — |
| 9 | Davenport, IA | $2,636/mo | +$616/mo | −$1,120/yr | — |
| 10 | Texarkana, TX | $2,635/mo | +$615/mo | −$3,605/yr | — |
| 11 | Waterloo, IA | $2,625/mo | +$605/mo | −$1,120/yr | — |
| 12 | Dubuque, IA | $2,621/mo | +$601/mo | −$1,120/yr | — |
| 13 | Cape Girardeau, MO | $2,618/mo | +$598/mo | −$772/yr | — |
| 14 | Jefferson City, MO | $2,610/mo | +$590/mo | −$772/yr | — |
| 15 | Killeen, TX | $2,606/mo | +$586/mo | −$3,605/yr | — |
| 16 | Laredo, TX | $2,603/mo | +$583/mo | −$3,605/yr | — |
| 17 | Iowa City, IA | $2,601/mo | +$581/mo | −$1,120/yr | — |
| 18 | Morristown, TN | $2,592/mo | +$572/mo | −$3,605/yr | — |
| 19 | Sherman, TX | $2,589/mo | +$569/mo | −$3,605/yr | — |
| 20 | St. Joseph, MO | $2,584/mo | +$564/mo | −$772/yr | — |
| 21 | Eagle Pass, TX | $2,576/mo | +$556/mo | −$3,605/yr | — |
| 22 | Alexandria, LA | $2,573/mo | +$553/mo | −$1,580/yr | — |
| 23 | El Paso, TX | $2,564/mo | +$544/mo | −$3,605/yr | — |
| 24 | Beaumont, TX | $2,555/mo | +$535/mo | −$3,605/yr | — |
| 25 | Sioux Falls, SD | $2,549/mo | +$529/mo | −$3,605/yr | — |
Staying in Montana
State income tax does not change. Rent still does. Compared with Billings.
- Great Falls · $2,069/mo · +$49 vs Billings
- Missoula · $1,991/mo · −$29 vs Billings
- Helena · $1,913/mo · −$107 vs Billings
- Bozeman · $1,537/mo · −$483 vs Billings
Moving from another state
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Cities that pay you to moveTake-home by jobBillings paycheck
Questions
Where do people from Montana move?
Among metros on this site, the largest IRS flow out of Montana in 2022-2023 is to Seattle, WA: 393 tax returns, about 532 people. The link uses the Bozeman corridor, which sent the most of those returns.
How does state income tax change when you leave Montana?
On $80,000 for a single filer, Montana state income tax is $3,605 a year. The change column is the destination's state income tax minus that figure. A negative number is a smaller state tax bill. Local wage taxes are not in that column. They are in the leftover figure.
Where does a paycheck from Montana go furthest?
At $80,000 held flat, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $2,706 a month in Ames, IA, +$686 versus Billings.