Cost of living in Billings: rent, homes and salary
By the BEA regional price parity (RPP), the cost of living in Billings in 2024 came to 93.5 for the Billings, MT metro area, with the US at 100, so it runs 6.5% below the US average. Housing alone was 77.4.
- Overall prices
- 93.5US = 100, BEA 2024
- Price level for housing
- 77.4 for rents, US = 100.
Cost of living index for Billings
Regional price parities compare what one basket of goods and services costs in a single place against the US average, set at 100. BEA prices the whole Billings, MT metro area as one place, and Billings sits inside it. Utilities sit furthest from the US average, at 72.4, or 27.6% below the US.
| Price level, US = 100 | Billings, MT metro | Montana | Metro against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 93.5 | 94.6 | −6.5% |
| Goods | 96.0 | 96.0 | −4.0% |
| Housing (rents) | 77.4 | 84.6 | −22.6% |
| Utilities | 72.4 | 72.3 | −27.6% |
| Other services | 98.7 | 98.7 | −1.3% |
Regional price parities for each metro area and state, 2024, come from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. BEA regional price parities
What rent costs in Billings
By the Zillow Observed Rent Index, or ZORI, typical asking rent in Billings comes to $1,393 a month. ZORI tracks rent on homes listed now, and the figure is +3.6% on a year. Across the US the figure is $1,932. Census median gross rent comes to $1,182. It counts every renting household, not only new leases. Twelve months of the asking rent equals 24% of the median household income.
| Rent | Billings | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Typical asking rent, Zillow ZORI | $1,393 | $1,932 |
| Asking rent, 12-month change | +3.6% | |
| Median gross rent, Census ACS 2024 | $1,182 | $1,487 |
| Share of median income, a year of asking rent | 24% | 28% |
Zillow Observed Rent Index; one-year estimates, Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024.
Billings home prices
A typical Billings home was worth $401,071 in September 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index, or ZHVI. That index measures what a typical home costs, one in the middle range of the market. That figure is +2.4% on a year, while the US stands at $366,157. That works out to 5.8 years of median household income, compared with 4.5 for the US.
| Home prices | Billings | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value, September 2026 | $401,071 | $366,157 |
| 12-month change | +2.4% | +1.2% |
| 10-year change | +70.8% | +77.4% |
| Price to income (years of median income) | 5.8 | 4.5 |
| Price to rent (years of asking rent) | 24.0 | 15.8 |
The price chart back to 2000, the forecast plus days on market: Billings housing market.
The salary you need to live in Billings
The salary in Billings that matches what your pay buys now comes from two questions: where you live, plus what you earn.
- Moving away from
- Salary
The method, plus every city side by side: city cost of living comparison.
Moving to Billings? Compare moving quotes on Moving.com, a mover-quote service; we are not paid for this link.
Billings cost of living compared with other cities
| City | Overall prices | Housing | A typical rent | Value of a typical home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings | 93.5 | 77.4 | $1,393 | $401,071 |
| Bozeman | 102.5 | 139.2 | $2,199 | $721,678 |
| New York City | 112.6 | 148.6 | $4,089 | $825,854 |
| Los Angeles | 113.6 | 170.4 | $2,772 | $927,891 |
| Chicago | 103.6 | 112.0 | $2,311 | $334,108 |
| Houston | 98.6 | 104.5 | $1,544 | $259,465 |
| Phoenix | 103.3 | 121.2 | $1,571 | $404,067 |
| Philadelphia | 102.6 | 113.1 | $1,757 | $231,584 |
| San Antonio | 94.7 | 94.6 | $1,381 | $244,623 |
Price levels come from BEA regional price parities 2024, with US = 100. Rent figures: Zillow ZORI. Home values: Zillow ZHVI, September 2026.
All cities ranked: cost of living by city. Every state listed: cost of living in each state.