Toledo Helena

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Toledo to Helena is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 91.5 to 95.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $672/mo.

-$493
BLS median salary lower in Helena
293 to 426
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
18.2:1 to 11.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$325
DOL infant care lower / yr in Helena

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
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 91.5 → 95.7
Rent Delta: +$672/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + Better student-teacher ratios

Cons of Moving

  • - 4% higher cost of living
  • - $672/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 91.5 to 95.7 (ratio 1.05), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $672/mo ($8,064/yr) from $1,076 in Toledo to $1,748 in Helena.

Toledo still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Helena sits #307 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Toledo is #213/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $493 lower ($67,305 → $66,812). Labor-market size: 284,410 tracked jobs at origin vs 38,620 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Ohio 59 (D, #29/51) vs Montana 53 (D, #38/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Toledo
Helena
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 91.5
RPP 95.7
Toledo
Rent (2BR)
$1,076/mo
$1,748/mo
Toledo
Wages
$67,305
$66,812
Toledo
Crime
293 per 100K
426 per 100K
Toledo
Schools
18.2:1
11.8:1
Helena
Childcare
$11,791/yr
$11,466/yr
Helena
Environment
1500 violations
1604 violations
Toledo

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 · Ohio
59 D #29/51
Income tax
72
Property tax
57
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
10
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 Toledo to see what you'd need to earn in Helena to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Helena
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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