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 2025. 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 2025? 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 2025
/10
Population: 6,028
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 83
Median Income: $44,195
Median Home Price: $159,500
Median Rent: $896
The cheapest city in Montana for 2025 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 $159,500, and the average rent is $896 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
/10
Population: 9,333
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 88
Median Income: $58,000
Median Home Price: $197,600
Median Rent: $802
Havre, the second most affordable city in Montana, has a $197,600 average home price and an excellent 3.41 home price to income ratio.
Located at the intersection of Routes 2 and 87, the 9,333 residents can save some of their $58,000 income they aren’t spending on expensive bread for skiing at Bear Paw Ski Bowl.
More on Havre: Data
/10
Population: 60,412
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 91
Median Income: $63,934
Median Home Price: $237,400
Median Rent: $866
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 third lowest in the state at $866.
Cheap things to do in town for the family include the Electric City Water Park and Gibson Park.
More on Great Falls: Data
“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: 8,412
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 91
Median Income: $60,732
Median Home Price: $182,700
Median Rent: $932
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
5. Columbia Falls
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Population: 5,531
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 92
Median Income: $65,313
Median Home Price: $346,700
Median Rent: $1,003
Nestled in Flathead County along the Flathead River, Columbia Falls ranks as the fifth cheapest city statewide. The town has a standout 11th 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:
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.
6. Polson
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Population: 5,334
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 93
Median Income: $51,463
Median Home Price: $321,000
Median Rent: $921
Polson, located on Montana’s southern Flathead Lake shore, ranks sixth on our list of the cheapest cities in the state.
The $321,000 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:
/10
Population: 9,512
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 94
Median Income: $49,533
Median Home Price: $209,700
Median Rent: $661
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 $661/month, while buying a home here will set you back around $209,700. Renting in Anaconda is slightly more affordable than buying, since Anaconda has the best rent to income ratio in Montana
More on Anaconda-Deer Lodge County: Data
/10
Population: 33,126
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 95
Median Income: $69,341
Median Home Price: $355,100
Median Rent: $1,058
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
/10
Population: 75,600
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 98
Median Income: $65,329
Median Home Price: $427,400
Median Rent: $1,120
With a population of 75,600, 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 $427,400. You can use that savings to ride a Carousel for Missoula or a camping trip to Rattlesnake National Recreation area.
More on Missoula: Data
Unless you live in Missoula. I love Missoula and the rest of Montana though!
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Population: 7,198
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 98
Median Income: $66,382
Median Home Price: $232,700
Median Rent: $953
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
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 2025
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 2019-2023 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 2025. 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 2025, 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 | 6,028 | 83 | $44,195 | $159,500 | $896 |
| 2 | Havre | 9,333 | 88 | $58,000 | $197,600 | $802 |
| 3 | Great Falls | 60,412 | 91 | $63,934 | $237,400 | $866 |
| 4 | Miles City | 8,412 | 91 | $60,732 | $182,700 | $932 |
| 5 | Columbia Falls | 5,531 | 92 | $65,313 | $346,700 | $1,003 |
| 6 | Polson | 5,334 | 93 | $51,463 | $321,000 | $921 |
| 7 | Anaconda-Deer Lodge County | 9,512 | 94 | $49,533 | $209,700 | $661 |
| 8 | Helena | 33,126 | 95 | $69,341 | $355,100 | $1,058 |
| 9 | Missoula | 75,600 | 98 | $65,329 | $427,400 | $1,120 |
| 10 | Laurel | 7,198 | 98 | $66,382 | $232,700 | $953 |
| 11 | Kalispell | 26,830 | 102 | $61,590 | $381,400 | $1,019 |
| 12 | Sidney | 6,235 | 102 | $62,992 | $249,100 | $890 |
| 13 | Livingston | 8,635 | 103 | $65,187 | $348,700 | $987 |
| 14 | Belgrade | 11,425 | 105 | $88,896 | $469,600 | $1,582 |
| 15 | Billings | 118,321 | 107 | $71,855 | $311,800 | $1,097 |
| 16 | Bozeman | 55,042 | 114 | $79,903 | $614,900 | $1,611 |
| 17 | Whitefish | 8,422 | 117 | $71,110 | $648,200 | $1,313 |