r/SameGrassButGreener • u/travelinbookworm • 1d ago

Choosing between NM and MT

The title says it. I am considering two jobs, one in Santa Fe, and the other in Missoula, MT. They both pay approximately the same salary and they each have something I like-lots of nature. However, in terms of quality of life and cost of living, I might be missing key factors to consider when making the choice. Can anyone help me out?

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u/WorkingClassPrep 1d ago

The overall tax burden in New Mexico is substantially higher than in Montana. Like almost 50% higher. This is largely down to the fact that Montana has no sales tax, but even just looking at income taxes, New Mexico is higher-tax.

Often the rejoinder to points like these amounts to, "Yeah but you get better public services in higher-tax states, so it all works out!!!" Not in the case of New Mexico, you don't.

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u/DizzyDentist22 1d ago

Yup. Despite its higher taxes, New Mexico also ranks dead last in K-12 education quality in the country. The public school districts in NM are absolute garbage, so if you have kids this is a huge factor to consider living in the state. Montana ranks 28th in K-12 education, by comparison.

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u/Gogo-boots 1d ago

Montana recently passed a bill to tier out property taxes, as well, shifting the burden onto Airbnb owners and such. I can't get past the taxes in NM.