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Barely — $50,000 covers basics in Billings, but leaves little room for savings.
Earning $50,000 a year in Billings puts you significantly below the area's median income of $71,855. Billings is an average-cost city to live in, with a cost of living index of 100 (the national average is 100).
After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Montana's 6.9% state income tax, your effective rate comes out to about 27%. That leaves you with roughly $3,056 per month to work with.
Most budgeting frameworks recommend keeping housing costs below 30% of gross income. At 45% of take-home on rent alone, the budget gets tighter. You'll likely need to be intentional about non-essential spending to stay above water. There isn't much savings buffer — unexpected expenses like car repairs or medical bills could mean going into the red for a month.
What works in Billings's favor: a high local earning potential.
After rent, here's roughly what your remaining $1,673/mo covers in Billings:
These cities have a lower rent-to-income ratio on the same salary.
See how affordability changes in Billings as your salary moves up or down.
Barely — $50,000 covers basics in Billings, but leaves little room for savings.
After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Montana state income tax (~7%), you would take home approximately $36,672 per year ($3,056/month). The effective total tax rate is 27%.
At $50,000/year, your monthly take-home is $3,056. With median rent of $1,383, you'd spend 45% of your net income on rent. Financial experts recommend keeping rent below 30% of gross income.
After estimated living costs (rent, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) of roughly $2,826/month, you'd have approximately $230/month in savings — 8% of take-home pay.
Billings has a cost of living index of 100. The national average is 100. It's roughly in line with national norms.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Billings is $1,383/month. That's $512 below the national average of $1,895.