From cold Montana to the Sunshine State
Montana — the land of cold temperatures and warm people.
If you’ve lived in Montana for long, it would be hard to leave behind its breathtaking scenery, amazing summers, and welcoming people. Nevertheless, if you’ve had enough of the cold and snow and would love to move to a warmer place, where better to move to than the Sunshine State? It rarely snows in Florida, and most parts of the state have a subtropical climate with mild winters and hot and humid summers.
Other than the weather, Florida and Montana differ from one another in so many aspects. Even though Montana is the 4th largest state in terms of land area, the state is the 8th least populous one in the US. Florida, on the contrary, is the third most populous one and the 8th most densely populated, while Montana the 3rd least densely populated in the United States.
Housing and Living Costs
No matter where in Florida you will move to, get ready to pay the “Sunshine tax” as soon as you move there. The living and housing costs in most cities in Florida are much more expensive than in Montana.
Tampa, for example, is 6% more expensive than Billings and the transportation costs in Tampa are 55% more expensive. If we compare Miami to Billings, we can see that Miami is way more expensive too. The cost of living in Miami is 33% more expensive than in Billings, while the median home cost is 46% more expensive. Compare more cities in Montana to cities in Florida on this Cost of Living Comparison site.
Florida’s Economy
Montana’s economy is mainly based on agriculture (ranching and cereal grain farming), healthcare, government sectors, and coal, oil, gas, hard rock mining. Florida’s economy is mainly fueled by manufacturing, trade, financial services, transportation services, and construction. According to the Florida Chamber Foundation, Florida managed to surpass the $1 trillion mark in mid-July 2018.
Tourism is a major contributor to the economies of both countries. Attractions such as the Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, the Beartooth Highway, Flathead Lake, Big Sky Resort, and others bring around 13 million tourists from all over the world to Montana every year. Florida on the other side, has set tourism records for six consecutive years. In 2016 the state welcomed 112.8 million tourists.
Activities in the Sunshine State
Located in the Northwestern United States, Montana is one of the nine Mountain States in the Western United States region and is often nicknamed as the Big Sky Country and the Treasure State. While an outdoorsy person would usually go hiking, fishing, and hunting in Montana, the case would be slightly different in Florida. The Land of Flowers offers plenty of opportunities to go surfing, swimming, biking, walking, kayaking, hiking, and other enjoyable activities.
Make sure you also visit the Kennedy Space Center, Universal Orlando, Duval Street, Mallory Square, Daytona 500 International Speedway, Giraffe Ranch, Epcot Theme Park, Florida Keys, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Busch Garden in Tampa,the South Beach, SeaWorld Orlando, Sanibel Island, Magic Kingdom, the Everglades National Park, and the Dry Tortugas National Park as soon as you get the chance.
Moving to Florida with a car
If you are moving from Montana to Florida with a car, you will do yourself a favor since having a car in Florida is necessary if you want to get around on your own schedule. As soon as you move to the Land of Flowers, you will have up to 30 days to register and title your vehicle with your local DHSMV. Just make sure you read more about all the documents you need to prepare in advance, to make the registering process easier.