Yellowstone County · Montana
Cost of living in Billings, MT
Price levels published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis for Billings, MT, with the national average set to 100 — so 108 means things cost 8% more here than the US average.
Quick answer
Living in Billings, MT costs 6.5% below the national average — an all-items price level of 93.5. To match the buying power of a $100,000 national-average salary you would need about $93,526 here.
- All items
- 93.5US average = 100
- Housing
- 77.422.6% below the national average
- Goods
- 96.04.0% below the national average
- Other services
- 98.71.3% below the national average
Price level by component
Where the difference actually comes from.
| Component | Index | vs US | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goods | 96.0 | -4.0% | Groceries, fuel, clothing, durable purchases. |
| Housing | 77.4 | -22.6% | Rents and imputed rents — the biggest single swing factor. |
| Utilities | 72.4 | -27.6% | Electricity, gas, water and other household energy. |
| Other services | 98.7 | -1.3% | Healthcare, dining, repairs, personal services. |
What your salary is worth in Billings, MT
Enter a salary. We deflate it by the local price level (93.5 where 100 is the US average) and show what you would need to earn here to match the same pay somewhere average.
- Real value here
- $70,806
- Needed to match US average
- $61,935
- Monthly difference
- $-357
What a local paycheck is really worth
Nominal pay is only half the story.
The median household in Billings earns $66,222. Deflated by the local price level, that is $70,806 in national-average dollars — the BEA calls this real income, and it is simply income × 100 ÷ 93.5.
More on Billings
Same city, other datasets.
2024 BEA Regional Price Parities, published for Billings, MT. Parities are metro-wide, so a single neighbourhood can sit well above or below these figures.