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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Dollar for dollar, few states match Montana's value. 1 out of 1 cities undercut the national cost index of 111 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — . Leading the pack: Billings at index 81, where median rent of $1,383/month saves renters $6,144/year versus the national median.
#1 Ranked: Billings — cost index 81, rent $1,383/mo, income $71,855
1 of 1 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Dollar for dollar, few states match Montana's value. 1 out of 1 cities undercut the national cost index of 111 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — . Leading the pack: Billings at index 81, where median rent of $1,383/month saves renters $6,144/year versus the national median.
Dive into Billings's numbers: cost index 81 (30 points below national average), rent $1,383/month, income $71,855, and a home price of $390,654. And from what we can tell, the city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 81, while Healthcare runs 96. With 120,864 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
The utilities sub-index is derived from overall cost of living with regional BLS price adjustments. That alone makes it worth considering. A score of 94 (the top-10 average here) means utilities costs are about 6% below the national median. Billings leads at 94. Note: a low utilities index doesn't guarantee a low overall cost — check the full cost breakdown table below.
Now zoom in on the cost categories. The 1 cities we track in Montana paint a clearly affordable picture. Average cost index: 81. Median rent: $1,383/month. Household income: $71,855. Montana is known for Big Sky country with an inflating housing bubble — and the data backs that reputation convincingly.
Bottom line: Billings leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
120,864 residents · Montana
What does daily life actually cost in Billings? Start with the 23% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Housing (index 81) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 96) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $71,855 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — and homes at $390,654 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
Cities are ranked by their utilities cost sub-index within Montana. Each sub-index is derived from the overall cost of living with regional adjustment factors. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Billings ranks #1 in Montana for this analysis with a cost index of 81 and median income of $71,855.
Billings, MT has the lowest utilities index at 94, compared to the national average of 100.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Billings is $1,383/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $512 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Billings is $390,654, which is 5.4× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
Montana has a 5.9% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 0%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.74%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.