Now that you’ve hung up your office attire for the last time. you’re ready to look for a spot to spend your golden years in Big Sky Country. You’ve come to the right place. We’ve compiled a list of the best places to retire in Montana.
Between Yellowstone in the south and Glacier National Park in the north, there isn’t a corner of Montana that isn’t rife with epic landscapes and majestic wildlife. You could honestly hunt and fish in Montana for decades without seeing all there is to see.
How did we determine the best places to retire in Montana? We looked at the 30 cities with more than 2,000 people. We then compared data from the Census, the FBI’s Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights to figure out which spots were safe, affordable, sunny, relatively older, and fun.
Whether you’re retiring in Montana to get away from it all or still want access to big-city amenities without the high price tag, we’ve got you covered.
$717 median rent · $55,750 median income · #3 cheapest rent in Montana
$672 median rent · $34,143 median income · #2 cheapest rent in Montana
$852 median rent · $60,302 median income · #9 cheapest rent in Montana
Data | Movers
$1,064 median rent · $60,096 median income · #22 cheapest rent in Montana
$842 median rent · $72,670 median income · #7 cheapest rent in Montana
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$918 median rent · $47,857 median income · #13 cheapest rent in Montana
$805 median rent · $90,310 median income · #6 cheapest rent in Montana
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$734 median rent · $52,868 median income · #4 cheapest rent in Montana
$771 median rent · $60,423 median income · #5 cheapest rent in Montana
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$947 median rent · $49,204 median income · #16 cheapest rent in Montana
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Montana’s statewide median.
Montana statewide median: $72,509
Montana statewide median: $466,917
On the map
Where to retire in Montana
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Treasure State for 2026
To create our ranking of the best places in Montana to retire, we used Saturday Night Science. We analyzed Census data to find all places in the Treasure State — 362 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 2,000 people that weren’t townships. This left us with 30 places from across the state.
For these 30, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI’s Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:
- Low cost of living as measured by rent
- Low crime
- Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
- Nice weather
- Distance to the closest international airport
- Other retirees (High median age)
We then ranked each of these places for each criterion from one to 30, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Red Lodge, with the lowest average rank, was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second career.
The report has been updated for 2026. This list reflects our eleventh time ranking the best places to retire in Montana.
The full plate
Best Places To Retire In Montana
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Retire Score | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Median Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Lodge | 7.00 | 2,502 | $55,750 | $523,072 | $717 |
| 2 | Libby | 7.40 | 3,042 | $34,143 | $346,685 | $672 |
| 3 | Deer Lodge | 9.40 | 3,021 | $60,302 | $285,278 | $852 |
| 4 | Stevensville | 10.20 | 2,130 | $60,096 | $614,349 | $1,064 |
| 5 | Glendive | 10.30 | 4,810 | $72,670 | $192,739 | $842 |
| 6 | Conrad | 10.80 | 2,618 | $47,857 | $252,616 | $918 |
| 7 | Glasgow | 11.40 | 3,190 | $90,310 | $156,841 | $805 |
| 8 | Wolf Point | 11.60 | 2,602 | $52,868 | $141,602 | $734 |
| 9 | Hardin | 12.70 | 3,742 | $60,423 | $213,956 | $771 |
| 10 | Hamilton | 13.20 | 5,101 | $49,204 | $526,562 | $947 |
| 11 | Dillon | 14.20 | 4,085 | $61,134 | $391,900 | $864 |
| 12 | Columbus | 14.20 | 2,003 | $65,250 | $455,987 | $945 |
| 13 | Colstrip | 14.30 | 2,101 | $82,500 | $226,810 | $659 |
| 14 | Whitefish | 14.50 | 8,749 | $73,811 | $864,157 | $1,354 |
| 15 | Polson | 14.80 | 5,428 | $53,418 | $560,671 | $912 |
| 16 | Sidney | 15.00 | 6,171 | $62,538 | $269,780 | $931 |
| 17 | Lewistown | 15.20 | 6,087 | $48,750 | $296,569 | $1,007 |
| 18 | Great Falls | 16.00 | 60,329 | $63,373 | $334,708 | $900 |
| 19 | Livingston | 17.20 | 8,780 | $65,861 | $531,831 | $1,046 |
| 20 | Manhattan | 17.20 | 2,288 | $87,865 | $659,491 | $1,585 |
| 21 | Cut Bank | 17.40 | 3,028 | $49,432 | $178,057 | $988 |
| 22 | Helena | 18.20 | 33,639 | $71,036 | $474,029 | $1,092 |
| 23 | Columbia Falls | 18.40 | 5,615 | $75,766 | $599,165 | $1,016 |
| 24 | Kalispell | 18.80 | 28,504 | $63,415 | $552,745 | $1,078 |
| 25 | Havre | 19.20 | 9,258 | $50,329 | $232,554 | $844 |
| 26 | Missoula | 20.90 | 76,514 | $70,392 | $564,622 | $1,189 |
| 27 | Laurel | 23.30 | 7,215 | $68,474 | $374,157 | $974 |
| 28 | Belgrade | 23.80 | 11,872 | $97,328 | $548,236 | $1,877 |
| 29 | Billings | 24.20 | 119,434 | $73,712 | $392,209 | $1,138 |
| 30 | Bozeman | 24.20 | 56,114 | $85,747 | $724,089 | $1,717 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, FBI UCR, OpenFlights. 30 cities with more than 2,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Maybe You’re Not Ready To Retire In Montana Yet…
So there you have it, the best place to retire in Montana goes to Red Lodge.
The best places to retire in Montana are Red Lodge, Libby, Deer Lodge, Stevensville, Glendive, Conrad, Glasgow, Wolf Point, Hardin, and Hamilton.
If you’re not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley. Not sold on Montana? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Places To Retire In Montana FAQs
What is the best place to retire in Montana?
Red Lodge is the best place to retire in Montana for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Libby and Deer Lodge are next.
What are the best places to retire in Montana?
The best places to retire in Montana are Red Lodge, Libby, Deer Lodge, Stevensville, Glendive, Conrad, Glasgow, Wolf Point, Hardin, and Hamilton. We ranked all 30 cities with more than 2,000 residents.
How do you rank retirement spots?
We score every qualifying Montana city on rent, crime, things to do, weather, airport access, and median age. The city that balances all six best, Red Lodge, takes the top spot.
How much does a home cost in Red Lodge?
The median home in Red Lodge runs $523,072, against $466,917 across Montana as a whole. Across the full top ten, the median home costs $268,947.
Which Montana place came in last for retirees?
Bozeman lands at the bottom of the retirement ranking for Montana. Not ready to retire anyway? Then Bozeman might suit you fine.
