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 2026. 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.
$57,527 median income · $696 median rent · #4 home prices in Montana
We’re taking our first trip into southwestern Montana to reach our 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 $696/month, while buying a home here will set you back around $287,878. Renting in Anaconda is slightly more affordable than buying, since Anaconda has the best rent to income ratio in Montana
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$48,750 median income · $1,007 median rent · #5 home prices in Montana
Located in
Fergus County, Montana
The second cheapest city in Montana for 2026 goes to Lewistown with a cost of living index of 89. That means living in is 12.7% cheaper than the Montana average.
According to Zillow, the average home goes for $296,569, and the average rent is $1,007 in Lewistown. Located in the smack-dab middle of Montana, you’re looking at about a two to three-hour drive to Bozeman.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$68,474 median income · $974 median rent · #7 home prices in Montana
Located in
Yellowstone County, Montana
Sneaking onto the list of the cheapest cities in Montana is Laurel. The overall cost of living index of 97 includes low index values for groceries (101) and transportation (109).
Located 20 minutes southwest of Billings, Laurel is near the Sundance Lodge Recreation Area or a long weekend in Billings itself.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$63,373 median income · $900 median rent · #6 home prices in Montana
Located in
Cascade County, Montana
Great Falls, located about an hour and a half north of Helena, ranks fourth for affordability in the Treasure State. The overall cost of living index of 98 has low index values for utilities (103), services (105), and healthcare (94). Rent is the third lowest in the state at $900.
Cheap things to do in town for the family include the Electric City Water Park and Gibson Park.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$50,329 median income · $844 median rent · #1 home prices in Montana
Located in
Hill County, Montana
Havre, the fifth most affordable city in Montana, has a $232,554 average home price and an excellent 4.62 home price to income ratio.
Located at the intersection of Routes 2 and 87, the 9,258 residents can save some of their $50,329 income they aren’t spending on expensive bread for skiing at Bear Paw Ski Bowl.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$53,418 median income · $912 median rent · #14 home prices in Montana
Polson, located on Montana’s southern Flathead Lake shore, ranks sixth on our list of the cheapest cities in the state.
The $560,671 average home price supports a cost of living score of 99. You can use your savings for a weekend trip to Missoula to catch a University of Montana football game.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$67,727 median income · $926 median rent · #2 home prices in Montana
Miles City is miles ahead of the competition when it comes to cheap living. The city is the seventh cheapest in Montana. In Custer County where the Tongue River and Yellowstone meet, Miles City has a cost of living score of 100 on a national scale where 100 is average.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$49,204 median income · $947 median rent · #10 home prices in Montana
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$62,538 median income · $931 median rent · #3 home prices in Montana
Located in
Richland County, Montana
Sidney is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Montana, United States, less than 10mi away from the North Dakota border. The population was 5,191 at the 2010 census. The city lies along the Yellowstone River and is in proximity to the badlands of the Dakotas. Sidney is approximately midway between Glendive, Montana and Williston, North Dakota.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$75,766 median income · $1,016 median rent · #16 home prices in Montana
Nestled in Flathead County along the Flathead River, Columbia Falls ranks as the tenth 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.
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: $466,917
Montana statewide median: $72,509
On the map
Where your money goes furthest in Montana
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most affordable places to live in the Treasure State for 2026
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 2020-2024 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 18 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 Anaconda-Deer Lodge County.
We updated this article for 2026. This report reflects our eleventh time ranking the cheapest places to live in Montana.
The full plate
Cheapest Places To Live In Montana
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Cost Of Living Index | Median Income | Home Prices | Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anaconda-Deer Lodge County | 9,597 | 89 | $57,527 | $287,878 | $696 |
| 2 | Lewistown | 6,087 | 89 | $48,750 | $296,569 | $1,007 |
| 3 | Laurel | 7,215 | 97 | $68,474 | $374,157 | $974 |
| 4 | Great Falls | 60,329 | 98 | $63,373 | $334,708 | $900 |
| 5 | Havre | 9,258 | 99 | $50,329 | $232,554 | $844 |
| 6 | Polson | 5,428 | 99 | $53,418 | $560,671 | $912 |
| 7 | Miles City | 8,407 | 100 | $67,727 | $243,450 | $926 |
| 8 | Hamilton | 5,101 | 101 | $49,204 | $526,562 | $947 |
| 9 | Sidney | 6,171 | 102 | $62,538 | $269,780 | $931 |
| 10 | Columbia Falls | 5,615 | 102 | $75,766 | $599,165 | $1,016 |
| 11 | Livingston | 8,780 | 106 | $65,861 | $531,831 | $1,046 |
| 12 | Billings | 119,434 | 107 | $73,712 | $392,209 | $1,138 |
| 13 | Kalispell | 28,504 | 107 | $63,415 | $552,745 | $1,078 |
| 14 | Belgrade | 11,872 | 110 | $97,328 | $548,236 | $1,877 |
| 15 | Helena | 33,639 | 111 | $71,036 | $474,029 | $1,092 |
| 16 | Missoula | 76,514 | 115 | $70,392 | $564,622 | $1,189 |
| 17 | Whitefish | 8,749 | 127 | $73,811 | $864,157 | $1,354 |
| 18 | Bozeman | 56,114 | 130 | $85,747 | $724,089 | $1,717 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, cost-of-living data. 18 places with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Montana Affordability Summary
This is an accurate list of the most affordable places to live in Montana for 2026, if you’re looking at the cost of living numbers in Montana.
The cheapest cities in Montana are Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, Lewistown, Laurel, Great Falls, Havre, Polson, Miles City, Hamilton, Sidney, and Columbia Falls.
