Rent Affordability for A Registered Nurse in Montana

A typical registered nurse in Montana earns about $83,142 a year, which supports approximately $2,079 a month in rent under the 30% rule. Below, every tracked Montana city is ranked by how local rent compares against that affordability ceiling.

As of May 2026. 9 of 12 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 3 are rent-burdened on this salary.

CityMedian rent% of incomeAffordability
Miles City, MT$813/mo11.7%very comfortable
Laurel, MT$1,286/mo18.6%very comfortable
Butte, MT$1,314/mo19%very comfortable
Livingston, MT$1,339/mo19.3%very comfortable
Great Falls, MT$1,367/mo19.7%very comfortable
Billings, MT$1,458/mo21%affordable
Missoula, MT$1,550/mo22.4%affordable
Helena, MT$1,663/mo24%affordable
Kalispell, MT$1,852/mo26.7%affordable
Belgrade, MT$2,188/mo31.6%stretched
Bozeman, MT$2,227/mo32.1%stretched
Whitefish, MT$2,712/mo39.1%stretched
Methodology: Salary is the BLS-derived state estimate for Montana. Rent is the latest ZORI monthly value for each city. Affordability uses the 30% rule (rent ≤ 30% of gross income).