Rent Affordability for A Software Developer in Montana

A typical software developer in Montana earns about $121,537 a year, which supports approximately $3,038 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. 12 of 12 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 0 are rent-burdened on this salary.

CityMedian rent% of incomeAffordability
Miles City, MT$813/mo8%very comfortable
Laurel, MT$1,286/mo12.7%very comfortable
Butte, MT$1,314/mo13%very comfortable
Livingston, MT$1,339/mo13.2%very comfortable
Great Falls, MT$1,367/mo13.5%very comfortable
Billings, MT$1,458/mo14.4%very comfortable
Missoula, MT$1,550/mo15.3%very comfortable
Helena, MT$1,663/mo16.4%very comfortable
Kalispell, MT$1,852/mo18.3%very comfortable
Belgrade, MT$2,188/mo21.6%affordable
Bozeman, MT$2,227/mo22%affordable
Whitefish, MT$2,712/mo26.8%affordable
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).