Michigan vs Montana

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

Michigan

Rank #35

Overall Score

62.4

Category Wins

5/10

Montana

Rank #32

Overall Winner

Overall Score

63.6

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.38%

Property Tax

0.74%

91.5

Cost of Living

$6,700

Farm Land $/Acre

$1,230

190 days

Growing Season

130 days

38"

Annual Rainfall

20"

6/10

Soil Quality

5/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

6/10

Gun Friendly

10/10

3.9 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.93 hrs

85%

Broadband

70%

Montana Edges Out Michigan Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 63.6 vs 62.4, Montana 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 $6,700/acre. Michigan has a longer growing season (190 vs 130 days). Montana has lower property taxes (0.74% vs 1.38%).

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	Michigan MI	Montana MT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.25%	5.9%
	6%	0%
	1.38%	0.74%
	91.5	95
Land & Building
	$6,700	$1,230
	Yes (Statewide)	No Statewide Code
	Varies	Yes (Statewide)
Climate & Growing
	4a-6b	3a-6b
	190	130
	38"	20"
	6	5
	2	6
	3	1
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Allowed with Limits
	3.9	4.93
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	None	Low
	6	10
	Strong	Strong
	Herd Share Only	Yes (Farm Sales Only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	478	420
	30%	35%
Demographics & Community
	177.1	7.6
	25%	45%
	85%	70%
Business
	#12	#5
	$50/yr	$35/yr
	4.2%	2.8%

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