Montana vs North Carolina

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

Montana

Rank #32

Overall Score

63.6

Category Wins

6/10

North Carolina

Rank #13

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.2

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.74%

Property Tax

0.84%

Cost of Living

$1,230

Farm Land $/Acre

$4,400

130 days

Growing Season

230 days

20"

Annual Rainfall

80"

5/10

Soil Quality

7/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

10/10

Gun Friendly

8/10

4.93 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.4 hrs

70%

Broadband

85%

North Carolina Edges Out Montana Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.2 vs 63.6, North Carolina 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 $4,400/acre. North Carolina has a longer growing season (230 vs 130 days). Montana has lower property taxes (0.74% vs 0.84%).

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	Montana MT	North Carolina NC
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.9%	4.25%
	0%	7.5%
	0.74%	0.84%
	95	99
Land & Building
	$1,230	$4,400
	No Statewide Code	Yes (Statewide)
	Yes (Statewide)	Permitted with local zoning approval; growing acceptance
Climate & Growing
	3a-6b	7a-8b
	130	230
	20"	80"
	5	7
	6	4
	1	5
Water & Energy
	Allowed with Limits	Permitted
	4.93	4.4
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Minimal
	10	8
	Strong	Very strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Illegal for human consumption (herdshare/pet milk only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	420	393
	35%	44%
Demographics & Community
	7.6	217
	45%	23%
	70%	85%
Business
	#5	#15
	$35/yr	$125/yr
	2.8%	3.5%

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