The 7 cheapest places to live in beautiful, tranquil Montana, one of the country's fastest-growing states
Dan Latu,Zoe Rosenberg
- Montana, known for its stunning natural beauty, is one of the US' fastest-growing states.
- People who move to Montana in search of tranquility may also find that life can be less expensive.
Montana has a kaleidoscope of different terrains from mountains to grasslands to lush valleys.
Those wide-open spaces of America's fourth-largest state — which is similar in size to entire countries, including Norway and Japan — have become a beacon for Americans clamoring for a different pace of life.
Montana realtor Airika Lakkala, who's based in the southwestern mining hub of Butte, said a "sense of tranquility" draws newcomers to the Big Sky state. Its way of life is fiercely protected by locals.
"The state's vast wilderness appeals to those seeking a peaceful and scenic lifestyle," Lakkala told Business Insider.
Montana has plenty of scenery to choose from, with eight national parks and monuments, 14 ski mountains, and nearly 170,000 miles of riverways — enough for even the most fervent outdoor enthusiast.
But affordability is also a major draw. In a stalemate housing market where neither buyers nor sellers are winning, Americans are seeking homes with prices within reach wherever they can find them. Montana, with a population of about 1.1 million people, offers dozens of markets that fit the bill.
Data analytics site Niche compiled a list of the places with the lowest cost of living in Montana. Niche considered factors such as the ratio of home value to median income and the prices of necessities like gas and groceries.
Niche's ranking included Wolf Point and North Browning, communities on two of Montana's seven American Indian reservations. Because those communities have been historically marginalized and housing is often intended for indigenous members of the community, Business Insider has omitted them from this roundup of the cheapest places to live in Montana.
Read on for the seven communities with the lowest cost of living in Montana. Many of these places offer a small-town feel stacked with history, said Dylan Conger, a real-estate agent based in Bozeman. (Bozeman, while not one of Montana's cheapest places to live, is one of the fastest-growing cities in the US.)
For each one, BI included its average home price from Zillow. The rent, income, population, and local insights are from Niche, which uses data from the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics and also crowdsources reviews from residents.
7. West Glendive
Average home price: $211,849
Median rent: $963
Median household income: $67,667
Population: 1,868
What Niche users had to say: "The overall job outlook for the area is good. If you need a job you can definitely find one without a problem. The top employers are definitely oil rigs right now where I'm located and of course other companies like fast food, grocery stores, Kmart, frito lay, banks, and ect. Most people work for the city, banks or on an oil rig it seems like."
6. Glendive
Average home price: $211,849
Median rent: $700
Median household income: $51,924
Population: 4,928
What Niche users had to say: "The people in this town were kind, but they didn't go extremely out of their way to help others. There are good options for food, and a beautiful state park, Makoshika."
5. Cut Bank
Average home price: $171,893
Median rent: $754
Median household income: $44,159
Population: 3,049
What Niche users had to say: "Cut Bank is a nice community located in northern Montana. It is said to be the coldest spot in the nation. It is a wonderful place to live with a perfect view of the Rocky Mountains to the west."
4. Glasgow
Average home price: $168,158
Median rent: $674
Median household income: $55,943
Population: 3,192
What Niche users had to say: "It is a great town in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, when it comes to young families there is no much for kids to do and there's not much options for daycare making it hard for families especially single parents."
3. Anaconda
Average home price: $260,061
Median rent: $586
Median household income: $44,809
Population: 9,380
What Niche users had to say: "It's a quaint little town and the people are very friendly. It has most everything that we need for shopping and it's beautiful. It has a small town feel and it seems safe. We enjoy walking on the trails in the town, especially the one above the golf course."
2. Deer Lodge
Average home price: $259,454
Median rent: $669
Median household income: $40,515
Population: 2,938
What Niche users had to say: "The 'grades' for Deer Lodge on this site are laughable. Overall a rundown town, terrible public schools, and very limited options for shopping and food, which is expected of a small town, but come on Deer Lodge — you can do better. The only thing this town has going for it is the beautiful mountain range and surrounding forests."
1. Hardin
Average home price: $231,990
Median rent: $743
Median household income: $51,566
Population: 3,754
What Niche users had to say: "Hardin is a tight knit small community with very diverse cultural aspects. Primarily a Native American community I see and experience older traditions on a daily basis and am very great full for the opportunities it provides me with."
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