Montana vs South Carolina

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

Montana

Rank #32

Overall Score

63.6

Category Wins

5/10

South Carolina

Rank #20

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.74%

Property Tax

0.57%

Cost of Living

$1,230

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,100

130 days

Growing Season

250 days

20"

Annual Rainfall

56"

5/10

Soil Quality

6/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

6/10

10/10

Gun Friendly

8/10

4.93 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.5 hrs

70%

Broadband

79%

South Carolina Edges Out Montana Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.5 vs 63.6, South Carolina 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 $3,100/acre. South Carolina has a longer growing season (250 vs 130 days). South Carolina has lower property taxes (0.57% vs 0.74%).

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	South Carolina SC
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.9%	5.21%
	0%	7.5%
	0.74%	0.57%
	95	96
Land & Building
	$1,230	$3,100
	No Statewide Code	Yes (Statewide)
	Yes (Statewide)	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common
Climate & Growing
	3a-6b	7b-9a
	130	250
	20"	56"
	5	6
	6	4
	1	4
Water & Energy
	Allowed with Limits	Permitted
	4.93	4.5
	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	506
	35%	50%
Demographics & Community
	7.6	165
	45%	35%
	70%	79%
Business
	#5	#24
	$35/yr	$110/yr
	2.8%	3.6%

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