What It Really Costs To Live Alone In Montana

The High Cost Of Living Solo In Montana

It's been a long time since I lived alone—15 years, to be exact.

In that time, we've seen both rent and the cost of buying a house skyrocket in Montana, which begs the question, how is anyone able to afford housing under the Big Sky?

Is Living Solo In Montana Becoming Impossible

When I first moved to Montana, I was renting an apartment that ran me about $300 a month, but I was also only making about $1,100 a month.

To 21-year-old me, that was A LOT of money; today that would be WAY below what one website has said single people need to make to live comfortably.

SmartAsset uses what they call the 50/30/20 budget, which means 50% of income to necessities (rent, utilities), 30% to entertainment (hobbies, dining out, travel), and 20% for savings (retirement, rainy-day funds).

Montana's Solo Living Wage Falls Way Short

Right now in Montana, about 15% of households (both rented and owned) are occupied by people living on their own with no family members or roommates.

That's according to the United States Census Bureau Data, which also says the median income of a Montana resident is now $70,804.

According to SmartAsset, that would be far short of the amount they determined was needed to allow a single person a comfortable life in Montana.

The salary SmartAsset came up with for single people in Montana is an eye-popping $92,851 for a difference of $22,047.

The only silver lining is that we aren't in Washington or Oregon, where making over $100,000 a year is necessary to live comfortably.