Montana vs South Dakota

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

Montana

Rank #32

Overall Score

63.6

Category Wins

4/10

South Dakota

Rank #11

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.6

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.74%

Property Tax

0.84%

Cost of Living

$1,230

Farm Land $/Acre

$1,950

130 days

Growing Season

160 days

20"

Annual Rainfall

28"

5/10

Soil Quality

9/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

10/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.93 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.1 hrs

70%

Broadband

81%

South Dakota Edges Out Montana Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.6 vs 63.6, South Dakota 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 $1,950/acre. South Dakota has a longer growing season (160 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	South Dakota SD
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	5.9%	—
	0%	7.33%
	0.74%	0.84%
	95	94
Land & Building
	$1,230	$1,950
	No Statewide Code	No (Local Adoption)
	Yes (Statewide)	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common
Climate & Growing
	3a-6b	3a-5a
	130	160
	20"	28"
	5	9
	6	6
	1	6
Water & Energy
	Allowed with Limits	Permitted
	4.93	4.1
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Minimal
	10	9
	Strong	Very strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	420	348
	35%	42%
Demographics & Community
	7.6	11
	45%	44%
	70%	81%
Business
	#5	#12
	$35/yr	$150/yr
	2.8%	2.7%

Not sure which state is right for you?

Use our free ranking tool to score all 50 states based on your personal priorities — from land prices and taxes to climate and community.

Rank States by Your Priorities