Maryland vs Montana

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

Maryland

Rank #45

Overall Score

54.6

Category Wins

4/10

Montana

Rank #32

Overall Winner

Overall Score

63.6

Category Wins

6/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.05%

Property Tax

0.74%

116.2

Cost of Living

$9,200

Farm Land $/Acre

$1,230

230 days

Growing Season

130 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

20"

6/10

Soil Quality

5/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

2/10

Gun Friendly

10/10

4.3 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.93 hrs

93%

Broadband

70%

Montana Edges Out Maryland Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 63.6 vs 54.6, Montana 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 $9,200/acre. Maryland has a longer growing season (230 vs 130 days). Montana has lower property taxes (0.74% vs 1.05%).

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	Maryland MD	Montana MT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.75%	5.9%
	6%	0%
	1.05%	0.74%
	116.2	95
Land & Building
	$9,200	$1,230
	Yes (Statewide)	No Statewide Code
	No Statewide Code	Yes (Statewide)
Climate & Growing
	6a-8a	3a-6b
	230	130
	48"	20"
	6	5
	2	6
	2	1
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Allowed with Limits
	4.3	4.93
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Medium	Low
	2	10
	Moderate	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Yes (Farm Sales Only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	454	420
	20%	35%
Demographics & Community
	636	7.6
	13%	45%
	93%	70%
Business
	#46	#5
	$100/yr	$35/yr
	3.5%	2.8%

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