Montana vs Vermont

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

Montana

Rank #32

Overall Winner

Overall Score

63.6

Category Wins

5/10

Vermont

Rank #33

Overall Score

62.9

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.74%

Property Tax

2.1%

Cost of Living

117

$1,230

Farm Land $/Acre

$7,500

130 days

Growing Season

130 days

20"

Annual Rainfall

56"

5/10

Soil Quality

6/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

9/10

10/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4.93 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.7 hrs

70%

Broadband

82%

Montana Edges Out Vermont Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 63.6 vs 62.9, 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 $7,500/acre. Montana has lower property taxes (0.74% vs 2.1%). Montana is more affordable with a cost of living index of 95 vs 117.

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	Vermont VT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.9%	8.75%
	0%	6%
	0.74%	2.1%
	95	117
Land & Building
	$1,230	$7,500
	No Statewide Code	Yes (Statewide)
	Yes (Statewide)	Permitted with local approval; ADU-friendly policies
Climate & Growing
	3a-6b	2b-4b
	130	130
	20"	56"
	5	6
	6	2
	1	1
Water & Energy
	Allowed with Limits	Permitted
	4.93	3.7
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	High
	10	7
	Strong	Very strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	420	155
	35%	28%
Demographics & Community
	7.6	68
	45%	68%
	70%	82%
Business
	#5	#44
	$35/yr	$125/yr
	2.8%	3.1%

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