Rent Affordability for A Waiter or Waitress in Montana

A typical waiter or waitress in Montana earns about $32,146 a year, which supports approximately $804 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. 0 of 12 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 12 are rent-burdened on this salary.

CityMedian rent% of incomeAffordability
Miles City, MT$850/mo31.7%stretched
Laurel, MT$1,240/mo46.3%rent-burdened
Great Falls, MT$1,388/mo51.8%severely rent-burdened
Livingston, MT$1,406/mo52.5%severely rent-burdened
Butte, MT$1,410/mo52.6%severely rent-burdened
Billings, MT$1,437/mo53.6%severely rent-burdened
Missoula, MT$1,550/mo57.9%severely rent-burdened
Helena, MT$1,617/mo60.4%severely rent-burdened
Kalispell, MT$1,952/mo72.9%severely rent-burdened
Bozeman, MT$2,164/mo80.8%severely rent-burdened
Belgrade, MT$2,344/mo87.5%severely rent-burdened
Whitefish, MT$2,841/mo106.1%severely rent-burdened
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).