Moving from Montana to Texas: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from Montana to Texas.
Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology
What changes when you move from Montana to Texas
Montana has graduated income tax rates up to 5.65% and Texas has no state income tax on wages. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,289 in state income tax in Montana and $0 in state income tax in Texas. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax falls by $4,289 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,237 a month across Montana's metro areas and $1,035 across Texas's (-16.4%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $50,674 in Montana and $49,204 in Texas. City and county income taxes, which some localities add, are not included in these state-level figures; the metro routes below include them.
Metropolitan Corridors Between Montana & Texas
Moving from Montana to Texas on a $100,000 salary: pay $4,289 less in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $1,035 vs $1,237 a month (HUD FMR).
Quick answers
For a single filer earning $100,000 with no local income tax, total federal, FICA and state taxes are $4,289 lower in Texas than in Montana (4.3 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Texas's metros is $1,035 a month, versus $1,237 in Montana (-16.4%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by +$6,721 a year.
Montana: Graduated Brackets, top rate 5.65%. Texas: No State Income Tax, top rate 0%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.