If you’ve never paddled Flathead Lake or had a bison burger in Bozeman, then you’ve not experienced what the good people of Montana already know.
Some of the best, most affordable fun in the country can be found in Montana.
So we compiled the ultimate list of the most affordable places to live in Big Sky Country for 2024. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze the most recent Montana census data on the cost of living, home prices, and incomes for all cities with 5,000 or more residents.
There isn’t a wrong place to build your dream cabin in Montana, but these places are steals.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary
The 10 most affordable places to live in Montana
What’s the most affordable place to live in Montana for 2024? The most affordable place in Montana is Lewistown according to the most recent Census data.
Montana’s most affordable places also free up cash to score tickets to Livingston’s Roundup Rodeo or catch a powder day in Whitefish.
Way better than spending it on rent.
Check out some more reading about Montana and the cheapest places in the country:
The 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Montana For 2024
/10
Population: 5,988
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 83
Median Income: $40,705
Median Home Price: $251,367
Median Rent: $818
The cheapest city in Montana for 2024 goes to Lewistown with a cost of living index of 83. That means living in is 17.8% cheaper than the Montana average.
According to Zillow, the average home goes for $251,367, and the average rent is $818 in Lewistown. Located in the smack-dab middle of Montana, you’re looking at about a two to three-hour drive to Bozeman.
More on Lewistown: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 9,332
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 88
Median Income: $63,143
Median Home Price: $253,078
Median Rent: $815
Havre, the second most affordable city in Montana, has a $253,078 average home price and an excellent 4.01 home price to income ratio.
Located at the intersection of Routes 2 and 87, the 9,332 residents can save some of their $63,143 income they aren’t spending on expensive bread for skiing at Bear Paw Ski Bowl.
More on Havre: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 60,373
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 91
Median Income: $58,272
Median Home Price: $305,613
Median Rent: $828
Great Falls, located about an hour and a half north of Helena, ranks third for affordability in the Treasure State. The overall cost of living index of 91 has low index values for utilities, services, and healthcare. Rent is the fourth lowest in the state at $828.
Cheap things to do in town for the family include the Electric City Water Park and Gibson Park.
More on Great Falls: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
“My family have lived in Montana since the about 1880. Uncle Charlie Babcock came here as an Indian trader. not that he traded Indians, but then maybe he did. After uncle Charlie came his nephew Albert Stevenson who founded the town of Lodge Grass, where I grew up. Montana has the big sky and lots of open space. On can ride horseback for miles and never see anyone, just like when this earth was created. One can stop and go skinny dipping in the Little Bighorn just for the fun of it. It hasn’t changed since Custer lost his battle with the Indians.
We live in Great Falls now and enjoy fishing and canoeing on the Mighty Missouri.
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Population: 8,432
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 91
Median Income: $59,578
Median Home Price: $262,923
Median Rent: $899
Miles City is miles ahead of the competition when it comes to cheap living. The city is the fourth cheapest in Montana. In Custer County where the Tongue River and Yellowstone meet, Miles City has a cost of living score of 91 on a national scale where 100 is average.
More on Miles City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,435
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 92
Median Income: $64,500
Median Home Price: $569,087
Median Rent: $949
Nestled in Flathead County along the Flathead River, Columbia Falls ranks as the fifth cheapest city statewide. The town has a standout 12th home price-to-income ratio and the tenth lowest median rent.
Columbia Falls is the northernmost city we’ve visited so far on this list. The city is 15 minutes west of the Glacier National Park.
More on Columbia Falls: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
The people in this town are so nice and generous. There’s a strong sense of community here. People really look out for one another and always offer help when needed.
The people here are the nicest I have ever come across.
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Population: 5,218
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 93
Median Income: $48,866
Median Home Price: $544,825
Median Rent: $877
Polson, located on Montana’s southern Flathead Lake shore, ranks sixth on our list of the cheapest cities in the state.
The $544,825 average home price supports a cost of living score of 93. You can use your savings for a weekend trip to Missoula to catch a University of Montana football game.
More on Polson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 9,435
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 94
Median Income: $46,436
Median Home Price: $257,384
Median Rent: $650
We’re taking our first trip into southwestern Montana to reach our seventh most affordable city, Anaconda. Whether you want to catch kokanee salmon at Georgetown Lake or shred some powder at Discovery Ski Area, Anaconda is sure to bring endless entertainment to those of an outdoorsy inclination. Renting in Anaconda will cost you about $650/month, while buying a home here will set you back around $257,384. Renting in Anaconda is slightly more affordable than buying, since Anaconda has the second best rent to income ratio in Montana
More on Anaconda-Deer Lodge County: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 32,529
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 95
Median Income: $64,798
Median Home Price: $445,702
Median Rent: $969
Unlike most states, some of the biggest cities in Montana are some of the most affordable. Helena, for example, is the eighth cheapest city. The cost of living here is 5.9% lower than the Montana average.
Cheap things to do in the city include visiting Centennial Park or Memorial Park for a relaxing afternoon with the kids.
More on Helena: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 74,627
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 98
Median Income: $59,783
Median Home Price: $532,392
Median Rent: $1,064
With a population of 74,627, Missoula is the ninth most affordable city in Montana. Its overall cost of living is 3.0% lower than the state and national average.
You can live in “Big Sky Country” without the sky-high prices, the average price in Missoula is $532,392. You can use that savings to ride a Carousel for Missoula or a camping trip to Rattlesnake National Recreation area.
More on Missoula: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
When I visited Missoula, MT at the age of ten, I had gone to visit a close aunt during my summer vacation. The city of Missoula was a bustling, mountainous area that was so scenic and beautiful, that it was breathtaking. I had never seen anything like it, and I am from the big city. I did not experience any crime or racism in the community of Missoula, MT. Everyone was incredibly friendly and there was a multitude of things to do. I love nature, so my aunt took me on many hiking and walking trails, while we walked her dog, Phoenix.
The area is a perfect place for families that prefer their privacy. Most homes were on a hill with a lot of grass to enclose each property. Basically, no loud, disruptive neighbors, which is a plus. If country living is not your thing, I would still suggest visiting Missoula, MT, just to experience the beautiful nature and the crisp fresh air. I have never breathed such clean air in my life.
My favorite places in Missoula, MT, are the hiking and walking trails. I love looking at beautiful nature. I feel in tune when I am around nature, animals and trees. I really love it. The only bad side to Missoula, MT, is the lack of diversity. I believe if more people knew about the scenic mountains, and beautiful landscapes, more groups of diverse cultures would visit, if not to see the views, but the hike the hills and smell the air. The air smells so pure.
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Population: 7,181
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 98
Median Income: $62,250
Median Home Price: $376,373
Median Rent: $907
Sneaking onto the list of the cheapest cities in Montana is Laurel. The overall cost of living index of 98 includes low index values for groceries and transportation.
Located 20 minutes southwest of Billings, Laurel is near the Sundance Lodge Recreation Area or a long weekend in Billings itself.
More on Laurel: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Cheapest places to live in Montana FAQs
The county in Montana with the lowest cost of living is Phillips County. The average living wage in Phillips County is $87,120 according to MIT data. Phillips County has the lowest cost of living because it has relatively less expensive childcare and housing costs compared to Montana as a whole. Childcare costs $16,384 a year in Phillips County for two children compared to the Montana average of $16,520. Housing costs, defined as a blend of the average rent and average mortgage payment, are $8,808 per year in Phillips County compared to $10,975 on average in Montana.
The cost of living in Montana is 0.0% lower than the US average. According to MIT, the required living wage for a family of four with two working parents in Montana is $89,744 vs the national average for a family of four with two working parents of $89,744. The median income of a Montana household is $56,539.
The cheapest housing market in Montana is Roundup. The average home value in Roundup is $86,100, the lowest in the state. The average home value in Montana is $244,900, almost 2.8 times higher than Roundup.
Methodology: How we determined the most affordable places to live in the Treasure State for 2024
Determining affordability for places in Montana boils down to how much it costs to live here.
You need to understand your costs relative to what people in the rest of the state are paying.
With that logic in mind, we derived several cost of living statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2018-2022 for Montana using Saturday Night Science. We indexed the cost of living statistics across the following categories:
- Housing
- Transportation
- Services
- Groceries
- Healthcare
- Utilities
These are then weighted together to produce an overall cost of living index where 100 is the United States average. Anything below 100 is relatively affordable. Anything over 100 is relatively expensive.
We applied the biggest weight to housing as it typically accounts for 25% or more of your budget. Additionally, housing costs are the highest variant cost across a state. We then compare these cost of living metrics for each place in Montana to figure out which is the least expensive.
The “Cost of Living Index” allows you to rank all of the 17 places in Montana that have more than 5,000 people from least expensive to most expensive. Any ties went to the larger city.
The place in Montana with the lowest cost of living according to the data is Lewistown.
We updated this article for 2024. This report reflects our tenth time ranking the cheapest places to live in Montana.
Montana Affordabilility Summary
This is an accurate list of the most affordable places to live in Montana for 2024, if you’re looking at the cost of living numbers in Montana.
The cheapest cities in Montana are Lewistown, Havre, Great Falls, Miles City, Columbia Falls, Polson, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, Helena, Missoula, and Laurel.
Here’s a look at the most expensive cities in Montana according to the data:
- Whitefish
- Bozeman
- Billings
For more Montana reading, check out:
Cheapest Places To Live In Montana
| Rank | City | Population | Cost Of Living Index | Median Income | Home Prices | Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewistown | 5,988 | 83 | $40,705 | $251,367 | $818 |
| 2 | Havre | 9,332 | 88 | $63,143 | $253,078 | $815 |
| 3 | Great Falls | 60,373 | 91 | $58,272 | $305,613 | $828 |
| 4 | Miles City | 8,432 | 91 | $59,578 | $262,923 | $899 |
| 5 | Columbia Falls | 5,435 | 92 | $64,500 | $569,087 | $949 |
| 6 | Polson | 5,218 | 93 | $48,866 | $544,825 | $877 |
| 7 | Anaconda-Deer Lodge County | 9,435 | 94 | $46,436 | $257,384 | $650 |
| 8 | Helena | 32,529 | 95 | $64,798 | $445,702 | $969 |
| 9 | Missoula | 74,627 | 98 | $59,783 | $532,392 | $1,064 |
| 10 | Laurel | 7,181 | 98 | $62,250 | $376,373 | $907 |
| 11 | Kalispell | 25,473 | 102 | $57,123 | $528,069 | $952 |
| 12 | Sidney | 6,257 | 102 | $56,696 | $299,126 | $836 |
| 13 | Livingston | 8,489 | 103 | $62,893 | $526,321 | $933 |
| 14 | Belgrade | 10,941 | 105 | $82,769 | $540,043 | $1,206 |
| 15 | Billings | 117,093 | 107 | $69,692 | $376,105 | $1,064 |
| 16 | Bozeman | 53,500 | 114 | $74,113 | $712,076 | $1,447 |
| 17 | Whitefish | 8,098 | 117 | $69,919 | $817,427 | $1,254 |