Cost of living in Great Falls research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Great Falls is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in Montana, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Great Falls is 89, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Great Falls is 0.9x lower than the national average.
Great Falls ranks as the #4 cheapest in Montana out of 23.
Great Falls ranks as the #1,460 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Great Falls is $190,300.
The median income in Great Falls is $53,126.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Great Falls has an overall cost of living index of 89, which is 0.9x lower than the national index of 100.
Compared to Montana, Great Falls has a cost of living index that's 0.9x lower than Montana's index of 103.
The standard of living in Great Falls ranks as #4 most affordable out of the 23 places we measured in Montana. By definition, that implies Great Falls ranks as the #19 most expensive place in the Treasure State.
For more reading on life in Great Falls, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Great Falls. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Great Falls is 97.
The Groceries index in Great Falls is 102.
The Health index in Great Falls is 101.
The Housing index in Great Falls is 81.
The Transportation index in Great Falls is 96.
The Utilities index in Great Falls is 88.
Living Expense | Great Falls | Montana | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 89 | 103 | 100 | |
Services | 97 | 102 | 100 | |
Groceries | 102 | 101 | 100 | |
Health | 101 | 98 | 100 | |
Housing | 81 | 107 | 100 | |
Transportation | 96 | 111 | 100 | |
Utilities | 88 | 89 | 100 |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in Montana, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2017-2021. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Great Falls is $190,300.
The Median Rent in Great Falls is $760.
The Median Income in Great Falls is $53,126.
The Home Value To Income in Great Falls is 3.6x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Great Falls is 0.17x.
Statistic | Great Falls | Montana | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $190,300 | $263,700 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $760 | $886 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $53,126 | $60,560 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 3.6x | 4.4x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.17x | 0.18x | 0.2x |
Item | Great Falls | Montana |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $0.91 | $1.06 |
Movie | $11.29 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $10.0 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $13.44 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $31.95 | $39.05 |
Item | Great Falls | Montana |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $4.39 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.44 | $1.39 |
Milk | $2.35 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $2.18 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $11.37 | $10.62 |
Beer | $8.2 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $1.94 | $2.34 |
Item | Great Falls | Montana |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $135.99 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $110.01 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $94.21 | $99.13 |
Item | Great Falls | Montana |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $2.22 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $43.84 | $50.07 |
Item | Great Falls | Montana |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $134.18 | $167.67 |
Phone | $176.34 | $175.64 |