Mountain West · Updated October 2026
Montana in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$1,529/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
24.4%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
5.65%
top marginal rate, single filer
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
0.69%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
97.7
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
35th
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
Montana sits in the middle of the pack on most measures, with no top-10 or bottom-10 finish on rent, pay, taxes, safety or disaster risk.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 6.4% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the 17th lowest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in Missoula (Missoula Intl Airport station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 33°F | 19°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 57°F | 33°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 81°F | 49°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 56°F | 33°F |
$2,109/mo two-bedroom · $1,612 one-bedroom (Bozeman, MT MSA)
Bozeman is a fast-growing mountain college town near Yellowstone with world-class skiing and fly fishing. It has become genuinely expensive, the winters are long and cold, and the housing market is now shaped by out-of-state wealth.
$1,690/mo two-bedroom · $1,433 one-bedroom (Missoula, MT HUD Metro FMR Area)
Missoula is a river-valley university town with a liberal, outdoorsy culture and dramatic surrounding wilderness. Cheaper than Bozeman but rising, with limited high-wage employment and a notable smoke season in late summer.
$1,432/mo two-bedroom · $1,132 one-bedroom (Billings, MT HUD Metro FMR Area)
Billings is Montana's largest city and its practical commercial centre — healthcare, energy and agriculture. Far more workaday than the resort towns, considerably cheaper, and set among rimrocks rather than alpine peaks.
$1,308/mo two-bedroom · $1,000 one-bedroom (Great Falls, MT MSA)
Great Falls is a north-central Montana city on the Missouri River, with Malmstrom Air Force Base and a long riverside trail. One of Montana's cheaper cities, windy, with wide open plains and mountains to the west.
$1,682/mo two-bedroom · $1,286 one-bedroom (Flathead County, MT)
Whitefish is a small resort town beside Glacier National Park with a ski mountain and a lake. Beautiful, seasonal and expensive, with a tiny year-round population and long, dark winters.
$1,653/mo two-bedroom · $1,320 one-bedroom (Lewis and Clark County, MT HUD Metro FMR Area)
Helena is Montana's small state capital, tucked into the mountains with government jobs, a historic downtown and easy trail access. Quiet, affordable and cold, with a modest but stable economy.
$1,417/mo two-bedroom · $1,176 one-bedroom (Silver Bow County, MT)
Butte is a historic copper-mining city with a striking uptown of old brick buildings and headframes. Cheap and full of character, with a legacy of mine pollution and cold winters.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
Yes. Montana’s top marginal income-tax rate for a single filer is 5.65% (Montana tax law, 2026). Counting property and sales tax too, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 6.4% of income in state and local taxes (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $1,529 a month and a one-bedroom for about $1,223, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $230 less than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 97.7 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 118.0 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 24.4% of the state’s median household income of $75,340.
Montana recorded 423.5 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the 12th highest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are wildfires. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Montana’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 35th percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include Bozeman, Missoula, Billings, Great Falls and Whitefish. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.