Montana vs New Mexico
Head-to-head homesteading comparison across taxes, land, climate, laws, safety & more
Overall Score
Category Wins
5/10
Overall Score
Category Wins
4/10
Quick Comparison
Winner highlighted per category
Montana Edges Out New Mexico Overall
With an overall homesteading score of 63.6 vs 61.1, 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 $1,250/acre. New Mexico has a longer growing season (200 vs 130 days). Montana has lower property taxes (0.74% vs 0.8%).
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
| Data Point | Montana MT | New Mexico NM |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & Cost | ||
| Yes | Yes | |
| 5.9% | 5.9% | |
| 0% | 8.09% | |
| 0.74% | 0.8% | |
| 95 | 97 | |
| Land & Building | ||
| $1,230 | $1,250 | |
| No Statewide Code | Yes (Statewide) | |
| Yes (Statewide) | Permitted with local approval; zoning permissive in many areas | |
| Climate & Growing | ||
| 3a-6b | 4b-10a | |
| 130 | 200 | |
| 20" | 24" | |
| 5 | 5 | |
| 6 | 8 | |
| 1 | 3 | |
| Water & Energy | ||
| Allowed with Limits | Permitted | |
| 4.93 | 5.9 | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Laws & Freedom | ||
| Low | Minimal | |
| 10 | 8 | |
| Strong | Strong | |
| Yes (Farm Sales Only) | Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Safety & Healthcare | ||
| 420 | 742 | |
| 35% | 52% | |
| Demographics & Community | ||
| 7.6 | 17 | |
| 45% | 28% | |
| 70% | 75% | |
| Business | ||
| #5 | #34 | |
| $35/yr | $0/yr | |
| 2.8% | 4.3% | |
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