Money Goes Further Now In Montana Than In Other States

If you are thinking that your dollar doesn't go as far as it used to, you may be right. We have seen price increases of groceries, mortgages, rent, and many other things in Montana. There has been some good news on the horizon with the price of gasoline. It has been dropping lately, not as much as in other states, but it is a start.

Read More: 11 States are Charging Less Than $3 Per Gallon, Montana Is Not

I don't travel out of state much, but when I do I can't help but compare prices in other places to what we pay for in Montana. A couple years back I vacationed Paris and London, two of the most expensive cities in the world. I can't tell you how great it was coming home to Montana and seeing reasonable prices.

When it comes to $100, just how far does that go in Montana? Visualcapitalist.com, using information from GoBankingrates.com has created a visual map of the U.S. comparing how much purchasing power each state has for $100. According to the report, Montana has a higher purchasing power than most other states.

The comparison of states was based on how much it costs for things like food, utilities, taxes, transportation, medical costs and more. GoBankingRates used data from U.S. Bureau of Economic Affairs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Zillow to compile their findings.

The state where purchasing power of $100 goes the furthest is Arkansas where it's actual value is $113.40. The state where $100 goes the least is California where it's purchasing power is only $87.50. Of Montana's neighbors, North and South Dakota are the only states where their money goes further. North Dakota's purchasing power is $111.30 and South Dakota's is close to the top at $112.20.

I think most of us would like to see the cost of living decrease. It may not be happening anytime soon, but there are a lot of other states that are worse off than Montana.