Colorado vs Montana

Head-to-head homesteading comparison across taxes, land, climate, laws, safety & more

Colorado

Rank #25

Overall Winner

Overall Score

65.1

Category Wins

6/10

Montana

Rank #32

Overall Score

63.6

Category Wins

3/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.51%

Property Tax

0.74%

108

Cost of Living

$2,850

Farm Land $/Acre

$1,230

180 days

Growing Season

130 days

60"

Annual Rainfall

20"

6/10

Soil Quality

5/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

7/10

Gun Friendly

10/10

5.3 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.93 hrs

87%

Broadband

70%

Colorado Edges Out Montana Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 65.1 vs 63.6, Colorado comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 6 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Montana offers cheaper farmland at $1,230/acre vs $2,850/acre. Colorado has a longer growing season (180 vs 130 days). Colorado has lower property taxes (0.51% vs 0.74%).

Scroll down to the full comparison table for a deep dive into every metric, or use our ranking tool to weight these factors by what matters most to you.

Full Data Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of selected states across homesteading metrics
Data Point	Colorado CO	Montana MT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.63%	5.9%
	7.65%	0%
	0.51%	0.74%
	108	95
Land & Building
	$2,850	$1,230
	No (Local Adoption)	No Statewide Code
	Varies	Yes (Statewide)
Climate & Growing
	4a-7b	3a-6b
	180	130
	60"	20"
	6	5
	8	6
	4	1
Water & Energy
	Allowed with Limits	Allowed with Limits
	5.3	4.93
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Low
	7	10
	Strong	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Yes (Farm Sales Only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	407	420
	48%	35%
Demographics & Community
	48.51	7.6
	15%	45%
	87%	70%
Business
	#32	#5
	$50/yr	$35/yr
	2.9%	2.8%

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