Is Living In Montana Worth The Cost?

Someone once told me that the dream is to live where you vacation. That explains why so many people have decided to call Montana home.

I could list all of the things that make Montana great, but you already know that list. Yes, it's the mountains, and the wildlife, and the fishing, etc. I call Bozeman home, and as you also know, that's one of the more expensive cities in the United States. The price of an average home here would get you a massive house in most of the country. But most of the country isn't Montana.

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Of course, there are several cheaper places to live in Big Sky Country than Bozeman.

However, according to new information, Montana as a whole might not be the best place to call home. The National Association of Realtors released information regarding all 50 states and the cost of living in each one. They then ranked them to see where each state landed on the list for affordability.

How affordable is Montana?

Great question! Would you be suprised if I told you that Montana was ranked in the Top 10 for least affordable? Probably not. What if I told you Montana ranked in the Top 5 for least affordable?

Based on the data, Montana is in both the Top 10 and Top 5. In fact, the Treasure State is ranked the least affordable state in the country. Yep, you read that right. Montana is at the top of the list.

So, what are the factors?

According to the statistics, the National Association of Realtors has compared the price of homes to local wages. What does that mean? Well, it means that when you compare what Montanans make per year to the cost of housing, it's ain't good.

We've done the math before. In order for a person to be able to afford a home here in Montana, they need to make a certain amount of money per year. The average Montanan doesn't make that amount, so, well, you can figure it out from there.

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So, if you're thinking about moving to a new area, I would avoid Montana if I were you. Seriously, the wildlife will kill you, and we live on a super volcano.