The 20 Best Places to Live in Montana - Placeaholic (2023)

Montana is one of the most beautiful places in the world and that’s a fact. Even if you have never been to it, chances are that you actually did hear all about how amazing of a location it is to visit and you most likely have yearned to give it a go at least once in your life.

Most people actually know of it, but just in case you’re not aware of it, let’s bring you up to speed real quick so that you can understand what the hype is really all about.

If you ask us,Montana is one of the most beautiful of the 50 states of the US. Location wises it’s great because there are just so many places to visit in it that you absolutely will never grow bored of it during your stay.

We’re talking about hundreds upon hundreds of attractions that will ensure that you have the time of your life here, including the amazing Rocky Mountains and even the Great Plains which are always worth a visit regardless of the duration of your stay.

But hey, visiting it is one thing, but actually living here offers a whole different perspective which you need to take into consideration as you make your way through the site.

This is why for today we actually decided to help you out by bringing you our very own top 20 best places to live in Montana. While we did rank them as we saw fit, you may actually find yourself rating them differently than us based on your own preferences.

This is why we urge you that you take everything we write here with a grain of salt and that based on the contents of our arguments you make your very own opinion as to where you’d prefer living in.

With that said, let’s jump right into our number 20 pick of the day, aka:

20. Columbia Falls

As one of the smaller cities in the state, Columbia Falls really earned its spot on our list by offering an incredibly low crime rate lifestyle, a very relaxed nature vibe and just all of the other benefits that come with living in such a tightly knit community.

19. Sidney

Sidney is yet another amazing city to move to if you’re looking to get a house at a reasonable price while also living very close to a ton of different top tier schools and just a plethora of different shops and restaurants for you to choose from.

Let’s not also skip over the fact that Sidney offers access you to one of the absolute best community markets around in which you’ll be able to get whatever products you need at a fair and reasonable price in no time.

Couple that with the fact that the community here is super friendly and you’ve got yourself a city that you absolutely need to see with your own eyes to believe.

18. Laurel

Most people would look at Laurel’s median income of $50,778 and think that that’s quite a lot less than what the normal citizen makes so they’ll skip over it but hear us out, it all balances out in the end.

What we mean by this is the fact that the housing prices here are so low that even with that lower income you will still be able to purchase your very own home here in no time.

The fact that the crime rate around here is practically non existent also makes this a very great choice to make and let’s not skim over the fact that the community here is worth a million bucks simply because of how friendly and helpful every member here is.

17. Colstrip

The selling point of Colstrip is the fact that although it is the home of only 2,253 residents, it more than makes up for it by offering you a plethora of different outdoor attractions that you can mess around with as you make your end’s meet here.

Couple all of that with the fact that the housing here is beyond affordable and it honestly would be pretty silly to not take this deal if you can do so this very moment.

16. King Arthur Park

With only 1,125 residents currently living in King Arthur Park, this right here may very well be one of your top choices simply because of the amazingly high standard of living that every person here gets.

We’re talking about a median salary of around $64,194, and if that alone isn’t enough to strike your fancy you should also consider the fact that this is the home of some of the most highly rated schools in all of Montana.

15. Great Falls

We already briefly mentioned Great Falls before but now it’s time that we fully delve into what makes this such a great place to live in to begin with.

Essentially, there are almost 60,000 people currently living over here, but that’s not even the most interesting part as most of those are actually a part of the Air Force Base which makes this one of the largest military communities in all of the US.

On top of that it is also a great place for outdoor activities such as hiking and camping, and let’s not forget about the plethora of different restaurants that are plastered across every street.

14. Belgrade

Belgrade is one of those places that you either absolutely love with a passion or you just can’t stand and we honestly understand both sides of the coin.

On the one hand, Belgrade is absolutely wonderful in terms of housing prices but other than that there are a lot less things to do around unless you’re a fan of getting an education going.

What we mean by this is the fact that it offers a plethora of top-of-the-line schools that you can enroll into, so if that sounds like a good deal for you then there’s no better choice out there really.

13. Glasgow

When it comes to housing prices, Glasgow doesn’t mess around as it is one of the most affordable options on the market. We’re talking about a rent going as low as $500 a month, and honestly this truly is worth it considering just how much there is to do around it in the first place.

On top of that if you’re looking to invest in buying your own house then you can easily shill out $134,400 or so and you’ll get yourself one of the best houses around the state in no time.

Last but not least, Glasgow is a great option for you since it is ranked as the second safest place to live in from all the other cities in the state.

12. East Helena

While most people instantly flock towards Helena when considering a good city in Montana to move into, we will honestly ask you to postpone that decision as you might also want to look into East Helena as well.

The reason for this is just the fact that it offers such a smaller and tighter community, and couple that with the fact that it is by far one of the safest places to move into in all of the United States and you’ve got yourself a good deal that you shouldn’t ignore anytime soon.

11. Kalispell

Kalispell is the perfect place to visit and eventually move into if you want to truly become one with nature and live out the remaining days of your life in a perfect natural encampment.

While there are definitely some modern aspects to it as well, nature really has taken control of the area to a tee, to the point where you can even find yourself plenty of wild animals roaming around the trekking trails if you’re not careful such as grizzly bears and so on and so forth.

The pricing for it all is also quite reasonable, although this may change in the near future as more and more people have begun flooding the streets looking for good deals here as of late.

10. Billings

Also commonly referred to as any hiker enthusiast’s dream destination right here, it really isn’t hard to see why so many adventurers end up running around Billings considering just how many hiking trails there are that you can choose from.

With an overall population of 108,134 people in total, this is quite the social gathering as well, and as far as we’ve heard, the people living in this city are amongst the friendliest you’ll ever come across, so don’t be afraid to invite your new neighbors over for a cup of tea once you get the papers signed.

9. Lewistown

We all hate having to go through a ton of traffic to get to work and that’s a fact. Having to drive around for hours for a business meeting is no fun, but luckily you won’t have to do this if you live in Lewistown.

The reason for that is the fact that it is actually the home of the Lewistown Airport, the perfect venue that will help you fly across six different cities, all with relative ease.

The aforementioned cities are the following: Denver, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and of course, we can’t forget about Seattle also.

8. Orchard Homes

Orchard Homes is pretty much one of the best cities that you could ever live in simply because there’s nothing bad about it to begin with.

With a total population of 5,576 people, you will quickly start recognizing one another in no time, and considering the overall high-quality of the schools around you will also be able to facilitate your child’s education or follow up on your own here as well.

Let’s not forget about the fact that there are so many amazing job opportunities here, and considering just how few people actually live here to begin with, you will easily be able to find the best job offering for you in a literal matter of days.

7. Missoula

If culture is something that you’re interested in then we highly recommend moving into Missoula as there aren’t all that many cities out there that can match it when it comes to its history and overall cultural importance.

While here we definitely recommend that you go to the Missoula Art Museum as it is one of those places that you absolutely need to see and experience yourself before you properly decide on whether this is the right place for you or not.

6. Dillon

If you’re a bit lighter on the budget and yet you still want to live out your dreams by buying a really large and luxurious house then Dillon should definitely be at the top of your wish list.

How affordable can one of these amazing sites get? You won’t believe this but the national average is actually way below the country average, with most houses here actually costing around $120,000 or even lower than that in some cases.

The community around this city is also very tightly knitted and considering just how low the crime rates are around here, we can assure you that you will not regret investing in this place to begin with.

5. Helena

Living in the state capital will always come with its fair share of benefits, and this right here is no exception. Helena is one of those places that is just brimming with life, and that’s all thanks to the 29,600 wonderful people that all inhabit this area.

It is one of those suburban areas that you never feel scared to walk around in regardless of the time of the day and considering the fact that it is such a modernized place to begin with, you’ll find yourself never looking back at the money you spent on the house here, especially considering the fact that one average house costs you less than $150,000 each.

4. Whitefish

While most of the people that make their way to Whitefish usually do so with the intent of just visiting it for the holidays, we would recommend that you invest in it also as a more permanent solution as well because there is nothing bad about it to begin with.

Considering how popular it is with tourists, this is also one of those places that you’ll be able to find work in in no time and that’s always great to hear.

3. Livingston

There is literally nothing bad that we could say about Livingston and that’s why it is so high on everyone’s list nowadays.

Whether you’re talking about the low crime rates around the site, the amazing housing prices or just the schooling systems around, you will have a hard time trying to get your hands on a better city to move into in Montana.

On top of that, this city is also progressively garnering more and more attention as the Millennials have decided to all start moving into it, bringing up their overall economy and also making this all the better of a site to move into at the end of the day.

2. Four Corners

While definitely nowhere near as large as a lot of the other options on this list, Four Corners is one of those places that doesn’t do a lot, but the few things that it does, it does so almost better than anyone else out there.

For example, the schools here are just out of this world, and we won’t even delve all that deeply into what makes this one of the safest sites in all of America either but just how that that’s always a factor you should look into beforehand.

1. Bozeman

Coming up on our number one spot we have Bozeman, the location that we would honestly argue that it is one, if not the absolute best city to move into as far as Montana goes.

There’s just something about this city that always calls out to us, it is just such a gorgeous place to visit and if you have the opportunity to move in here then there’s literally no reason as to why you’d ever refuse it to begin with.

The schooling system here is jaw dropping, the natural outdoor activities are by the dozen and while definitely not the most affordable site to live in, we would still dare say that this is more than worth the investment simply because of the overall quality you’re getting from it.

Conclusion

While there are definitely a ton of different places to move into as far as Montana goes, these are our personal top picks right here and we hope that you agree with them for the most part. Sure, some can be interchangeable and so on and so forth but for now we’re happy with this listing.

We hope that this was educational enough for you and that it helped you find the perfect place for you to move into in the near future. Than you for reading and we wish you a good day for now.

For more interesting places to live in, check out Montana’s neighboring states: North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota and Idaho.

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