Cost of living in Miles City 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 Miles City 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 Miles City is 101, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Miles City is 1.0x higher than the national average.
Miles City ranks as the #9 cheapest in Montana out of 25.
Miles City ranks as the #2,735 cheapest out of 6,489 in the US.
The median home value in Miles City is $229,217.
The median income in Miles City is $60,732.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Miles City has an overall cost of living index of 101, which is 1.0x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to Montana, Miles City has a cost of living index that's 1.0x lower than Montana's index of 101.
The standard of living in Miles City ranks as #9 most affordable out of the 25 places we measured in Montana. By definition, that implies Miles City ranks as the #16 most expensive place in the Treasure State.
For more reading on life in Miles City, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Miles City. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Miles City is 106.
The Groceries index in Miles City is 103.
The Health index in Miles City is 105.
The Housing index in Miles City is 87.
The Transportation index in Miles City is 123.
The Utilities index in Miles City is 92.
| Living Expense | Miles City | Montana | National Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 101 | 101 | 100 | |
| Services | 106 | 104 | 100 | |
| Groceries | 103 | 102 | 100 | |
| Health | 105 | 99 | 100 | |
| Housing | 87 | 100 | 100 | |
| Transportation | 123 | 107 | 100 | |
| Utilities | 92 | 95 | 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 2019-2023. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Miles City is $229,217.
The Median Rent in Miles City is $932.
The Median Income in Miles City is $60,732.
The Home Value To Income in Miles City is 3.8x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Miles City is 0.18x.
| Statistic | Miles City | Montana | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $229,217 | $460,050 | $303,400 |
| Median Rent | $932 | $1,031 | $1,348 |
| Median Income | $60,732 | $69,922 | $78,538 |
| Home Value To Income | 3.8x | 6.6x | 3.9x |
| Rent To Monthly Income | 0.18x | 0.18x | 0.21x |
| Item | Miles City | Montana |
|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | $1.23 | $1.28 |
| Movie | $12.47 | $12.13 |
| Bowling | $17.73 | $18 |
| Haircut | $29.17 | $24.26 |
| Beauty Salon | $41.59 | $45.56 |
| Item | Miles City | Montana |
|---|---|---|
| Ground Beef | $5.69 | $5.84 |
| Fried Chicken | $1.4 | $1.57 |
| Milk | $4.75 | $4.67 |
| Potatoes | $4.54 | $4.93 |
| Pizza | $12.1 | $12.09 |
| Beer | $10.75 | $10.41 |
| Toothpaste | $4.1 | $3.7 |
| Item | Miles City | Montana |
|---|---|---|
| Optometrist | $153.82 | $125.68 |
| Doctor | $187.05 | $135.78 |
| Dentist | $102.51 | $113.29 |
| Item | Miles City | Montana |
|---|---|---|
| Gasoline | $3.45 | $3.46 |
| Tire Balancing | $111.34 | $59.92 |
| Item | Miles City | Montana |
|---|---|---|
| All Electricity | $177.24 | $193.99 |
| Phone | $183.03 | $192.25 |