Manchester-Nashua Missoula

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Manchester-Nashua to Missoula is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 105.7 to 96.4 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $766/mo.

-$9,622
BLS median salary lower in Missoula
112 to 426
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
11.3:1 to 11.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$3,468
DOL infant care lower / yr in Missoula

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 105.7 → 96.4
Rent Delta: -$766/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 9% lower cost of living
  • + $766/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - $10K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 105.7 to 96.4, so each dollar covers more in Missoula (ratio 0.91). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $766/mo ($9,192/yr) from $2,127 in Manchester-Nashua to $1,361 in Missoula.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Missoula sits #285 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Manchester-Nashua is #61/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $9,622 lower ($72,754 → $63,132). Labor-market size: 193,340 tracked jobs at origin vs 60,010 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: New Hampshire scores 62 (C, #25/51) vs Montana at 53 (D, #38/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Manchester-Nashua
Missoula
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 105.7
RPP 96.4
Missoula
Rent (2BR)
$2,127/mo
$1,361/mo
Missoula
Wages
$72,754
$63,132
Manchester-Nashua
Crime
112 per 100K
426 per 100K
Manchester-Nashua
Schools
11.3:1
11.8:1
Manchester-Nashua
Childcare
$14,934/yr
$11,466/yr
Missoula
Environment
1444 violations
1604 violations
Manchester-Nashua

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · New Hampshire
62 C #25/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
49
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
98
Destination state · Montana
53 D #38/51
Income tax
62
Property tax
68
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
82

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Manchester-Nashua to see what you'd need to earn in Missoula to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Missoula
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026