Moving from Texas to Montana: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from Texas to Montana.
Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology
What changes when you move from Texas to Montana
Texas has no state income tax on wages and Montana has graduated income tax rates up to 5.65%. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $0 in state income tax in Texas and $4,289 in state income tax in Montana. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax rises by $4,289 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,035 a month across Texas's metro areas and $1,237 across Montana's (+19.6%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $49,204 in Texas and $50,674 in Montana. 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 Texas & Montana
Moving from Texas to Montana on a $100,000 salary: pay $4,289 more in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $1,237 vs $1,035 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 higher in Montana than in Texas (4.3 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Montana's metros is $1,237 a month, versus $1,035 in Texas (+19.6%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by -$6,721 a year.
Texas: No State Income Tax, top rate 0%. Montana: Graduated Brackets, top rate 5.65%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.