Indiana vs Montana

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

Indiana

Rank #17

Overall Winner

Overall Score

67.4

Category Wins

5/10

Montana

Rank #32

Overall Score

63.6

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.81%

Property Tax

0.74%

Cost of Living

$8,800

Farm Land $/Acre

$1,230

200 days

Growing Season

130 days

47"

Annual Rainfall

20"

8/10

Soil Quality

5/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

9/10

Gun Friendly

10/10

4.15 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.93 hrs

85%

Broadband

70%

Indiana Edges Out Montana Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 67.4 vs 63.6, Indiana comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 5 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 $8,800/acre. Indiana has a longer growing season (200 vs 130 days). Montana has lower property taxes (0.74% vs 0.81%).

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	Indiana IN	Montana MT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	2.95%	5.9%
	7%	0%
	0.81%	0.74%
	90	95
Land & Building
	$8,800	$1,230
	Partial	No Statewide Code
	Varies	Yes (Statewide)
Climate & Growing
	5b-6b	3a-6b
	200	130
	47"	20"
	8	5
	3	6
	5	1
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Allowed with Limits
	4.15	4.93
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	None	Low
	9	10
	Strong	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Yes (Farm Sales Only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	390	420
	30%	35%
Demographics & Community
	189.4	7.6
	27%	45%
	85%	70%
Business
	#10	#5
	$95/yr	$35/yr
	3.3%	2.8%

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