Montana vs Tennessee

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

Montana

Rank #32

Overall Score

63.6

Category Wins

3/10

Tennessee

Rank #1

Overall Winner

Overall Score

73.6

Category Wins

6/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.74%

Property Tax

0.56%

Cost of Living

89.7

$1,230

Farm Land $/Acre

$4,500

130 days

Growing Season

230 days

20"

Annual Rainfall

60"

5/10

Soil Quality

7/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

10/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.93 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.45 hrs

70%

Broadband

85%

Tennessee Edges Out Montana Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 73.6 vs 63.6, Tennessee 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 $4,500/acre. Tennessee has a longer growing season (230 vs 130 days). Tennessee has lower property taxes (0.56% 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	Tennessee TN
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	5.9%	—
	0%	9.55%
	0.74%	0.56%
	95	89.7
Land & Building
	$1,230	$4,500
	No Statewide Code	Partial
	Yes (Statewide)	Varies
Climate & Growing
	3a-6b	6a-8a
	130	230
	20"	60"
	5	7
	6	3
	1	5
Water & Energy
	Allowed with Limits	Unrestricted
	4.93	4.45
	Yes	No
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Low
	10	9
	Strong	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	420	600
	35%	44%
Demographics & Community
	7.6	167.4
	45%	34%
	70%	85%
Business
	#5	#8
	$35/yr	$300/yr
	2.8%	3.5%

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