Are Montana Renters Getting A Bargain? Apparently So.

If you're a renter in Montana, chances are you pay more than you'd like. Over the last few years, rent has been on the rise across The Treasure State, especially in places like Bozeman.

According to Rent Cafe, the average going rate for an apartment in Bozeman is currently around 2200 per month. While that is considerably more than the rest of the state, renters across the state are feeling the pinch as well.

For some Montanans, this has resulted in a second job or sharing an apartment with a roommate.

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That being said, new data says Montana is one of the cheapest states for rent in our region. You read that right, apparently, we're getting a deal here in Big Sky Country.

The folks at Don't Waste Your Money looked at all 50 states and figured out how much you would need to make an hour to afford the average rent in each state. According to those numbers, Montana might be a bargain compared to the surrounding states.

The numbers show that to afford rent in Montana, a person would have to make just over 19 dollars an hour. While that might seem a little steep to some, that's a drop in the bucket compared to places like Washington and Oregon. In Washington, you would need to make just over 36 dollars an hour, and almost 30 dollars an hour in Oregon.

Even Idaho is more expensive than Montana with an hourly wage of 21.53 needed. The only state in our region that is cheaper than Montana is Wyoming where the hourly rate needed to afford rent is just under 18 dollars an hour.

While it's interesting information, I doubt it will bring much relief when it comes to paying rent on the first of the month.

One positive note is that in the more popular areas across the state, construction continues on apartment and multi-family dwellings and one can hope that more availability will mean more competition when it comes to pricing.

Fingers crossed.