The 17 most affordable cities in Montana to buy a house
Homeownership is fundamental to the American dream. It offers wealth, security, community, and countless other benefits. Yet for many Montana residents, the dream feels increasingly out of reach—even as incomes rise and mortgage rates fall. Near-record prices have made homes hard to come by and often even harder to afford, leaving buyers and sellers stuck and younger generations priced out.
But affordable pockets still exist. In cities across the state, residents can comfortably spend around 30% of their income or less on housing, which is widely considered the affordable threshold.
To find out where these cities are, Redfin Real Estate ranked the most affordable cities in Montana, based on their local payment to income ratios. All data is an average for the January-October 2025 period. To see the most affordable cities in the country, read this recent Redfin article.
#1. Helena Valley Northwest, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 36.8%
- Median sale price: $486,231
- Median household income: $101,278
- Income needed to buy: $124,165
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,104
- See homes for sale in Helena Valley Northwest on Redfin.com
#2. Montana City, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 40.1%
- Median sale price: $655,600
- Median household income: $125,223
- Income needed to buy: $167,416
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $4,185
- See homes for sale in Montana City on Redfin.com
#3. Helena Valley West Central, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 44.1%
- Median sale price: $512,004
- Median household income: $89,040
- Income needed to buy: $130,747
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,269
- See homes for sale in Helena Valley West Central on Redfin.com
#4. Helena Valley Northeast, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 44.2%
- Median sale price: $794,167
- Median household income: $137,724
- Income needed to buy: $202,801
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $5,070
- See homes for sale in Helena Valley Northeast on Redfin.com
#5. Belgrade, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 49.5%
- Median sale price: $574,164
- Median household income: $88,896
- Income needed to buy: $146,620
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,666
- See homes for sale in Belgrade on Redfin.com
#6. Helena, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 52.5%
- Median sale price: $475,381
- Median household income: $69,341
- Income needed to buy: $121,395
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,035
- See homes for sale in Helena on Redfin.com
#7. Evergreen, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 56.7%
- Median sale price: $540,305
- Median household income: $73,015
- Income needed to buy: $137,974
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,449
- See homes for sale in Evergreen on Redfin.com
#8. Lolo, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 57.8%
- Median sale price: $555,812
- Median household income: $73,700
- Income needed to buy: $141,934
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,548
- See homes for sale in Lolo on Redfin.com
#9. Helena Valley Southeast, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 62.4%
- Median sale price: $519,455
- Median household income: $63,824
- Income needed to buy: $132,650
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,316
- See homes for sale in Helena Valley Southeast on Redfin.com
#10. Kalispell, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 67.6%
- Median sale price: $543,227
- Median household income: $61,590
- Income needed to buy: $138,720
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,468
- See homes for sale in Kalispell on Redfin.com
#11. Missoula, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 68.9%
- Median sale price: $587,926
- Median household income: $65,329
- Income needed to buy: $150,134
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,753
- See homes for sale in Missoula on Redfin.com
#12. Orchard Homes, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 76.4%
- Median sale price: $684,529
- Median household income: $68,649
- Income needed to buy: $174,803
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $4,370
- See homes for sale in Orchard Homes on Redfin.com
#13. Bozeman, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 77.3%
- Median sale price: $806,052
- Median household income: $79,903
- Income needed to buy: $205,836
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $5,146
- See homes for sale in Bozeman on Redfin.com
#14. Four Corners, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 86.8%
- Median sale price: $1,262,645
- Median household income: $111,474
- Income needed to buy: $322,433
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $8,061
- See homes for sale in Four Corners on Redfin.com
#15. Bigfork, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 96.4%
- Median sale price: $1,039,902
- Median household income: $82,648
- Income needed to buy: $265,552
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $6,639
- See homes for sale in Bigfork on Redfin.com
#16. Whitefish, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 119.8%
- Median sale price: $1,111,568
- Median household income: $71,110
- Income needed to buy: $283,853
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $7,096
- See homes for sale in Whitefish on Redfin.com
#17. Big Sky, Montana
- Payment to income ratio: 388.7%
- Median sale price: $5,258,070
- Median household income: $103,625
- Income needed to buy: $1,342,716
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $33,568
- See homes for sale in Big Sky on Redfin.com
