Cost of Living in Missoula, MT (2026): Rent, Home Prices, Wages, Utilities & Taxes

Last updated: October 2026

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The short answer: Missoula is cheaper than Bozeman or Whitefish, but still above the Montana average for housing. Zillow’s typical home value in Missoula was about $564,000 in September 2026, compared with about $467,000 for Montana (Zillow Research). Typical asking rent was about $1,622 a month, the lowest of the three western Montana hubs we cover. Local wages are lower too. The Missoula metro’s median wage was $47,830 in May 2025, slightly below Montana’s $48,740 (BLS OEWS). City water and sewer rates are modest by Montana standards. The city’s own property tax levy, however, is among the higher city levies in the state.

This article is general information, not tax, legal, or financial advice. Prices, rates and tax rules change. Check the linked sources or a qualified professional for your own situation.

Missoula cost of living at a glance

Housing

Buying

Source: Zillow Research, ZHVI city and state files, Sept. 30 values. ZHVI is the typical value for homes in roughly the middle third of the market, not a median sale price. Percent changes are our arithmetic.

Missoula’s typical value is about 21% above Montana’s. It has risen about 20% over five years but only about 1% in the past year.

Sources: Census QuickFacts, Missoula city; Census QuickFacts, Missoula County. ACS figures are 5-year averages of survey responses, so they run behind current prices.

Homeowners insurance is part of your monthly owner cost. Get a quote for the specific address before you make an offer.

Renting

Just over half of homes in the city are renter-occupied (owner-occupied: 47.0%).

HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027 (Missoula metro area / Missoula County)

Source: HUD USER, FY2027 Fair Market Rents. FMRs are the 40th percentile of rents paid by recent movers. They include tenant-paid utilities and exclude units under two years old (HUD USER). The FY2026 2-bedroom FMR was $1,655.

Zillow’s typical asking rent in Missoula was $1,622 in September 2026. That’s up about 2.7% from $1,580 a year earlier, and about 21% above September 2021’s $1,344 (our arithmetic from Zillow ZORI).

Income and jobs

The Missoula metro area is Missoula County.

At $1,690 a month, the 2-bedroom FMR comes to about 42% of the Missoula metro’s median wage ($47,830), counting one earner (our arithmetic). That’s a slightly lighter load than Bozeman’s 46%. The reason is that Missoula’s lower rents more than make up for its lower wages.

Utilities

Electricity and natural gas

NorthWestern Energy serves the City of Missoula with electricity and natural gas (NorthWestern Energy, Montana at a Glance). Its Missoula Division office is at 1903 S. Russell St. (NorthWestern Energy locations). Outside the city, some homes get electricity from Missoula Electric Cooperative instead, so confirm the provider for the exact address.

EIA 861M figures are preliminary, utility-wide averages: revenue ÷ customers each month, averaged January–July 2026. They’re not Missoula-specific bills, and they leave out the late-fall months.

Water, wastewater and stormwater (City of Missoula)

Source: City of Missoula, Utility Rates. 1 CCF = 748 gallons.

Water example: 8 CCF (about 6,000 gallons) on a standard meter comes to $21.34 + $1.78 + 8 × $2.52 = $43.28 for water (our arithmetic). That’s before wastewater and stormwater.

City-estimated averages: when the city proposed its current three-year rate plan in 2024, it projected an average residential bill for 2026 of $41.43 water + $22.54 wastewater + $5.65 stormwater = $69.62 a month (Engage Missoula, Utility Rates). The City Council adopted the three-year plan in October 2024, including 2027 increases of 8% for water, 9% for wastewater and 3% for stormwater (City of Missoula, Resolution 8820). The city projected the average 2027 bill at $75.13. These are the city’s projections, not measured bills. The same city page cites an industry survey (AE2S, 2023) that ranked Missoula’s combined rates among the lowest of Montana’s cities. That ranking is several years old.

Taxes

Sales and resort tax

Missoula has no general sales tax or resort tax (MT DOR). Adult-use cannabis in Missoula County carries the 20% state tax plus a 3% county tax (MT DOR, Cannabis). More: Does Montana Have Sales Tax?

Income tax

For 2026, Montana taxes income at 4.7% up to $47,500 (single) or $95,000 (married filing jointly) and at 5.65% above that. For 2027, the rate is 4.7% up to $65,000 / $130,000 and 5.4% above (MT DOR, HB 337).

Property tax

Source: MT DOR, 2026 Tax Information for Property Owners. The primary-residence rate requires living in the home at least 7 months a year.

Worked example (taxable value only): a $564,000 Missoula primary residence has a taxable value of $378,000 × 0.76% + $186,000 × 0.90% = $4,546.80. Each 100 mills adds about $455 a year to the bill (our arithmetic).

Local levies: in tax year 2024, the City of Missoula’s own levy was 239.90 mills. Missoula County’s average county-assessed levy was 186.54 mills, and the state levy was 102.50 (MT DOR Biennial Report 2022–2024, Property Taxes, Tables 6.13 and 6.14). School and special district mills come on top of those. In the same table, Missoula’s city levy was higher than Bozeman’s (158.17) and Kalispell’s (197.12). Mills were reset when the 2025–2026 rate changes took effect, so don’t apply 2024 mills to 2026 rates.

Inflation context

BLS doesn’t publish a CPI for any Montana area. The Mountain division CPI, which includes Montana, rose 3.3% from September 2025 to September 2026, compared with 3.7% nationally (BLS CPI; our calculation). That doesn’t tell you whether groceries or services cost more in Missoula than elsewhere.

Starting-point budget references

Related reading: Moving to Montana in 2027: Costs, Best Towns & Timeline · How Much Does It Cost to Move to Montana? · Cost of Living in Bozeman, MT · Cost of Living in Kalispell & the Flathead Valley

The bottom line

Missoula is the middle option among western Montana’s hubs. Housing costs less than in Bozeman or Whitefish but more than the state average. Wages are a little below Montana’s median, while water and sewer bills are modest. Two things deserve a careful look. Electricity from NorthWestern costs more per kWh than the co-ops charge, and the city’s property tax levy is among the higher ones. Get the exact tax bill history for any home you’re considering.

Visiting first? See Missoula hotels. Our Montana hot springs guide covers Lolo Hot Springs and Quinn’s Hot Springs in western Montana, with Missoula as the hotel base for both.

Sources

1. Zillow Research, Housing Data (ZHVI city/state, ZORI city; Sept. 30, 2026 values): https://www.zillow.com/research/data/
2. U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Montana, Missoula and other cities: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/MT,bozemancitymontana,missoulacitymontana,kalispellcitymontana,billingscitymontana,helenacitymontana/PST045225
3. U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Gallatin, Flathead and Missoula counties and Columbia Falls: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/gallatincountymontana,flatheadcountymontana,missoulacountymontana,columbiafallscitymontana/PST045225
4. HUD USER, Fair Market Rents (FY2027): https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html
5. HUD USER, About Fair Market Rents: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/ongoing/Fair-Market-Rents.html
6. BLS, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025): https://www.bls.gov/oes/
7. BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025 annual averages): https://www.bls.gov/cew/
8. BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: https://www.bls.gov/lau/
9. BLS, Consumer Price Index: https://www.bls.gov/cpi/
10. U.S. EIA, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=epmt_5_6_a
11. U.S. EIA, Form EIA-861M monthly utility data (sales_ult_cust_2026.xlsx): https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861m/
12. NorthWestern Energy, Montana Rate Review Facts: https://www.northwesternenergy.com/billing-payment/rates-tariffs/rates-tariffs-montana/montana-rate-review/facts
13. NorthWestern Energy, Service & Payment Locations: https://www.northwesternenergy.com/customer-service/service-payment-locations
14. City of Missoula, Utility Rates: https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/3283/Utility-Rates
15. Engage Missoula, Utility Rates (2024 rate proposal and projections): https://www.engagemissoula.com/utility-rates
16. City of Missoula, Resolution 8820 (utility rates adopted Oct. 21, 2024): https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/DocumentCenter/View/73743/Resolution-8820
17. Montana DOR, Sales Tax Guidance: https://revenue.mt.gov/taxes/general-sales-tax
18. Montana DOR, Cannabis Tax: https://revenue.mt.gov/taxes/miscellaneous-taxes-and-fees/cannabis/
19. Montana DOR, HB 337 income tax changes: https://revenue.mt.gov/news/recent-news/HB-337
20. Montana DOR, 2026 Tax Information for Property Owners: https://revenue.mt.gov/property/property-tax-changes/2026-property-tax-information
21. Montana DOR, Biennial Report July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2024, Property Taxes chapter: https://revenue.mt.gov/files/DOR-Publications/Biennial-Reports/July-1-2022-June-30-2024-Biennial-Report/Biennial-Report-7-1-2022-6-30-2024-Property-Taxes.pdf
22. NorthWestern Energy, Montana at a Glance: https://www.northwesternenergy.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/in-your-community/economic-development/3667_ataglance_mt_1021.pdf
23. Missoula Electric Cooperative: https://www.missoulaelectric.com/

Cole Bennett edits MontanaHelp, a research-driven guide to moving to and living in Montana. Articles cite official and public sources and are updated as rules and data change. AI tools help research and draft them; a person runs the editorial process and spot-checks one article from each batch before it’s published.

AI tools helped research and draft this article. A person runs MontanaHelp’s editorial process and spot-checks one article from each batch before it’s published.