How much rent can you afford in Butte, MT?
Run your salary against Butte's current rent, or find the income you'd need for a target rent. Powered by live RentDataNow medians.
The 30% rent rule, in Butte
At a median rent of $1,314/mo, Butte is very affordable when measured against Montana median income of $71,443/yr. Rent would consume roughly 22% of pre-tax income, and a salary of about $52,560 keeps rent at the recommended 30% threshold.
Based on Montana median income. Butte-specific income data isn't available yet, so state-level medians are used as a proxy.
How Butte compares nearby
Median rent for the closest cities with data.
Frequently asked
How much rent can I afford in Butte?
On a $71,443 salary (the Montana median income), the recommended ceiling is 30% of pre-tax income, or about $1,786/mo. Butte's median rent is $1,314/mo. Use the calculator on this page to run your own salary.
What salary do I need to live in Butte?
To keep Butte's $1,314/mo median rent under 30% of income, you'd need about $52,560/yr. Lower your target share (e.g. 25%) to need more, or raise it (e.g. 40%) to need less.
Is Butte affordable on the median Montana income?
Butte is very affordable on a $71,443 income. Rent would take 22% of pre-tax pay, inside the recommended 30% threshold.
What's the 30% rent rule?
The 30% rule is a long-standing budgeting guideline that keeps rent at or below 30% of gross (pre-tax) income. It leaves enough room for utilities, transit, savings, and debt service. In high-cost markets, many renters exceed 30%, and the Census Bureau classifies households paying more than 30% of income on rent as "cost-burdened".