13 Montana Cities and Where They Rank for Household Bills
Original Source: Missoula’s Only Classic Rock Z100
The past couple of years, there has been a lot of focus on the cost of housing in Montana, and it’s warranted because the market has changed so drastically since the pandemic.
But calculating the costs of living in Montana goes beyond just housing. Moving within the state, you may find yourself wanting to know how far your paycheck will go. This happened to me when I moved from Billings to Missoula two years ago. I suspected it was going to be more expensive, but I had no idea how much more nearly everything would cost until I’d lived here for a few months.
One aspect of calculating the cost of living is how much monthly expenses will be, like mortgage and rent as well as utilities, a car payment, etc.
Where Montana Ranks for the Cost of Household Bills
Using data from doxo.com we looked at the cost of Montana’s bills and how it compares by city, and how Montana compares to the rest of the country.
Overall, Montana bills are not that expensive. We rank 30th, and the cost of bills on average is $1,525 lower than the average for the U.S.
The more interesting picture is looking at how the costs compare between Montana’s cities.
From Most Expensive to Least Expensive
Take a look at a breakdown of the monthly cost of common household bills in each city. To review the full data, visit doxo.com.
#13 Bozeman
- Average monthly bills (All Services): $2,449
- Average mortgage bill: $1,751
- Average rent bill: $1,232
- Average auto loan bill: $469
- Average monthly utilities bill: $427
#12 Belgrade
- Average monthly bills (All Services): $2,338
- Average mortgage bill: $1,343
- Average rent bill: $1,770
- Average auto loan bill: $465
- Average monthly utilities bill: $407
#11 Missoula
- Average monthly bills (All Services): $2,138
- Average mortgage bill: $1,508
- Average rent bill: $980
- Average auto loan bill:$394
- Average monthly utilities bill: $368
#10 Whitefish
- Average monthly bills (All Services): $2,108
- Average mortgage bill: $1,753
- Average rent bill: $990
- Average auto loan bill: $465
- Average monthly utilities bill: $284
#9 Billings
- Average monthly bills (All Services): $2,097
- Average mortgage bill: $1,109
- Average rent bill: $972
- Average auto loan bill: $482
- Average monthly utilities bill: $587
#8 Hamilton
- Average monthly bills (All Services): $2,032
- Average mortgage bill: $1,108
- Average rent bill: $886
- Average auto loan bill: $465
- Average monthly utilities bill: $401
#7 Helena
- Average monthly bills (All Services): $1,955
- Average mortgage bill: $1,347
- Average rent bill:$928
- Average auto loan bill: $474
- Average monthly utilities bill: $396
#6 Livingston
- Average monthly bills (All Services): $1,944
- Average mortgage bill: $1,109
- Average rent bill: $869
- Average auto loan bill:$465
- Average monthly utilities bill: $425
#5 Havre
- Average monthly bills (All Services): $1,883
- Average mortgage bill: $1,007
- Average rent bill: $765
- Average auto loan bill: $560
- Average monthly utilities bill: $393
#4 Kalispell
- Average monthly bills (All Services): $1,872
- Average mortgage bill: $1,368
- Average rent bill: $878
- Average auto loan bill: $298
- Average monthly utilities bill: $276
#3 Columbia Falls
- Average monthly bills (All Services): $1,806
- Average mortgage bill: $1,263
- Average rent bill:$881
- Average auto loan bill: $298
- Average monthly utilities bill: $283
#2 Great Falls
- Average monthly bills (All Services): $1,738
- Average mortgage bill: $1,112
- Average rent bill: $798
- Average auto loan bill: $384
- Average monthly utilities bill: $293
#1 Butte
- Average monthly bills (All Services): $1,666
- Average mortgage bill: $803
- Average rent bill: $712
- Average auto loan bill: $465
- Average monthly utilities bill: $416
Given the data, I guess it makes sense that living in Missoula feels more expensive than living in Billings. But overall, I was surprised that the city with the lowest monthly bills was Butte. Were you?
10 MONTANA TOWNS WITH THE LOWEST COST OF LIVING IN 2023
Have the “big cities” become too expensive for you to live in? Why not make a move to one of these towns with the lowest cost of living in Montana for 2023. All information credited to Niche.
#10 Conrad
Cost of Living – B-
“Conrad is a town in Montana with a population of 2,758.”
#9 West Glendive
Cost of Living – B
“West Glendive is a town in Montana with a population of 1,868.”
#8 Glendive
Cost of Living – B
“Glendive is a town in Montana with a population of 4,928.”
#7 Cut Bank
Cost of Living – B
“Cut Bank is a town in Montana with a population of 3,049.”
#6 Glasgow
Cost of Living – B
“Glasgow is a town in Montana with a population of 3,192.”
#5 Anaconda-Deer Lodge County
Cost of Living – B
“Anaconda-Deer Lodge County is located in Montana with a population of 9,380. “
#4 Deer Lodge
Cost of Living – B
“Deer Lodge is a town in Montana with a population of 2,938.”
#3 Hardin
Cost of Living – B
“Hardin is a town in Montana with a population of 3,754.”
#2 North Browning
Cost of Living – B
“North Browning is a town in Montana with a population of 3,253.”
#1 Wolf Point
Cost of Living – B+
“Wolf Point is a town in Montana with a population of 2,638.”
HOW MUCH MONEY SINGLE PEOPLE NEED FOR SURVIVAL IN MONTANA AND ITS SURROUNDING STATES
Thanks to the information from GoBankingRates, we now know how much you have to make as a single person to live in Montana and its surrounding states.
Oregon
Affordability Rank: 43
Income Required: $65,763
Monthly Necessities Budget: $2,740.13
Monthly Non-Discretionary Budget: $1,644.08
Monthly Savings: $1,096.05
Hourly Pay Required: $34.25
Washington
Affordability Rank: 42
Income Required: $65,640
Monthly Necessities Budget: $2,735
Monthly Non-Discretionary Budget: $1,641
Monthly Savings: $1,094
Hourly Pay Required: $34.19
Colorado
Affordability Rank: 35
Income Required: $59,218
Monthly Necessities Budget: $2,467.50
Monthly Non-Discretionary Budget: $1,480.50
Monthly Savings: $987
Hourly Pay Required: $30.84
Utah
Affordability Rank: 28
Income Required: $55,293
Monthly Necessities Budget: $2,303.88
Monthly Non-Discretionary Budget: $1,382.33
Monthly Savings: $921.55
Hourly Pay Required: $28.80
Wyoming
Affordability Rank: 14
Income Required: $49,666
Monthly Necessities Budget: $2,069.50
Monthly Non-Discretionary Budget: $1,241.70
Monthly Savings: $827.80
Hourly Pay Required: $25.87
North Dakota
Affordability Rank: 24
Income Required: $52,807
Monthly Necessities Budget: $2,200.25
Monthly Non-Discretionary Budget: $1,320.15
Monthly Savings: $880.10
Hourly Pay Required: $27.50
South Dakota
Affordability Rank: 22
Income Required: $52,095
Monthly Necessities Budget: $2,170.63
Monthly Non-Discretionary Budget: $1,302.38
Monthly Savings: $868.25
Hourly Pay Required: $27.13
Idaho
Affordability Rank: 33
Income Required: $58,634
Monthly Necessities Budget: $2,443
Monthly Non-Discretionary Budget: $1,465.80
Monthly Savings: $977.20
Hourly Pay Required: $30.53
Montana
Affordability Rank: 31
Income Required: $57,056
Monthly Necessities Budget: $2,377.50
Monthly Non-Discretionary Budget: $1,426.50
Monthly Savings: $951
Hourly Pay Required: $29.72