Montana Cost of Living by Town and Region

Last checked October 29, 2026.

We now track 26 Montana towns. At current asking rents, a single adult renting their own 1-bedroom needs from about $36,000 a year in Lewistown to about $60,000 in Bozeman and Big Sky. Pick a region below or compare every town in the tables.

All 26 towns on the same basis

This table uses Census figures for every town so they can be compared fairly, plus the current-asking-rent figure where listing sites publish one. Sorted by income needed.

Town Region Census median rent, 1-bedroom Income needed at Census rent Income needed at current asking rents Census median home value
Lewistown Central $523 $31,755 $35,996 $198,400
Glendive Missouri River Country $530 $31,883 $182,600
Wolf Point Missouri River Country $612 $33,382 $118,600
Havre Central $619 $33,510 $40,255 $211,700
Red Lodge Yellowstone Country $620 $33,528 $380,700
Dillon Southwest $666 $34,369 $256,700
Miles City Southeast $669 $34,424 $37,312 $200,200
Great Falls Central $676 $34,552 $47,457 $257,000
Butte Southwest $695 $34,899 $43,527 $257,800
Anaconda Southwest $696* $34,917 $42,229 $231,700
Kalispell Glacier Country $738 $35,685 $50,089 $428,000
Laurel Southeast $789 $36,617 $235,100
Glasgow Missouri River Country $805* $36,910 $195,700
Helena Southwest $883 $38,336 $51,222 $387,300
Billings Southeast $907 $38,774 $46,744 $343,400
Polson Glacier Country $912* $38,866 $356,300
Livingston Yellowstone Country $915 $38,920 $392,400
Sidney Missouri River Country $931* $39,213 $236,900
Hamilton Glacier Country $947* $39,505 $310,000
Columbia Falls Glacier Country $1,016* $40,767 $52,081 $384,400
Missoula Glacier Country $1,024 $40,913 $49,760 $473,100
Belgrade Yellowstone Country $1,046 $41,315 $52,063 $535,200
West Yellowstone Yellowstone Country $1,046 $41,315 $504,300
Bozeman Yellowstone Country $1,317 $46,269 $60,325 $687,900
Whitefish Glacier Country $1,354* $46,945 $53,068 $684,300
Big Sky Yellowstone Country n/a n/a $59,795 $1,137,900

* Median rent for all unit sizes; the Census 1-bedroom figure for that town was too uncertain to use. Census figures are from the American Community Survey 2020–2024: rent actually paid, utilities included, averaged over five years, so current asking rents are usually higher. Income needed is our full-budget calculation for a single adult with a paid-off car, saving 10%, after 2026 federal and Montana taxes (methodology). Asking-rent figures add typical utility bills; sources are on each town page.

Regions

What drives the differences

  • Housing is most of the gap. The Census median 1-bedroom rent runs from about $520 in Lewistown and Glendive to $1,317 in Bozeman.
  • Resort towns such as Whitefish, Big Sky, West Yellowstone and Red Lodge add a 3% or 4% resort tax on things like lodging and restaurant meals (resort tax towns), and their home prices are far above nearby towns.
  • Distance matters outside the larger towns: more driving, and longer trips to a hospital, airport or big store (driving costs).
  • Heating depends on your utility and fuel: natural gas in most towns, propane in places without gas lines such as Big Sky (utilities and heating).

For the rest of the state, see rent, home values and income for all 56 counties.

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