This Is the Cheapest City to Buy a Home in Montana

The first two years of the coronavirus pandemic had a profound impact on the U.S. housing market as Americans fled expensive, high-population areas to mid-sized cities or adjoining suburbs in lower-cost parts of the country. (See how the cost of housing has skyrocketed in these major U.S. cities.)

Low-mortgage rates and high demand for homes in many markets, coupled with a slowdown in new home construction due to pandemic-related disruptions in the labor force and supply chains, often led to intense bidding wars over available homes among prospective buyers.

Though prices have slowed considerably in many markets in 2023 thanks to inflation and higher mortgage rates, they remain elevated and out of reach for the typical household. Still, across the country, there are cities where housing is affordable to a broader range of budgets — at least relative to the state’s broader housing market.

Of the seven cities in Montana with available data from real estate market website Realtor.com, Butte-Silver Bow is the least expensive place for homebuyers. As of April 2023, the median list price in the city was $373,000, compared to the median list price of $660,000 across the state as a whole.

All metro area and state level listing price data in this story is from Realtor.com, a real estate market website, and is for April 2023.

Cheapest city to buy a home Median list price in city, April 2023 ($) Median list price in state, April 2023 ($) Cities considered in each state
Alabama: Selma 75,500 330,000 25
Alaska: Fairbanks 349,900 415,000 4
Arizona: Safford 302,500 495,000 11
Arkansas: Hope 119,000 289,900 21
California: Susanville 308,950 750,000 34
Colorado: Sterling 245,000 639,925 17
Connecticut: Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown 399,900 559,900 5
Delaware: Dover 409,500 494,900 1
Florida: Sebring-Avon Park 295,000 467,990 29
Georgia: Thomaston 183,700 395,400 37
Hawaii: Hilo 645,000 852,500 4
Idaho: Mountain Home 375,000 574,900 13
Illinois: Macomb 69,900 310,000 26
Indiana: Marion 92,500 299,900 38
Iowa: Fort Madison-Keokuk 125,000 315,000 23
Kansas: Atchison 120,000 314,825 19
Kentucky: Maysville 92,500 299,950 21
Louisiana: Minden 140,000 289,250 18
Maine: Bangor 265,000 425,000 4
Maryland: Cumberland 139,900 420,000 7
Massachusetts: Springfield 369,000 759,000 6
Michigan: Saginaw 149,000 280,000 31
Minnesota: Marshall 186,185 400,000 22
Mississippi: Clarksdale 55,000 279,900 22
Missouri: Kennett 102,200 300,000 25
Montana: Butte-Silver Bow 373,000 660,000 7
Nebraska: Scottsbluff 254,950 371,900 12
Nevada: Fallon 386,780 475,000 9
New Hampshire: Berlin 249,991 549,000 6
New Jersey: Vineland-Bridgeton 269,900 518,000 4
New Mexico: Deming 189,000 375,000 19
New York: Olean 125,000 639,945 27
North Carolina: Laurinburg 209,450 419,720 37
North Dakota: Jamestown 179,900 332,060 8
Ohio: Portsmouth 129,500 249,900 42
Oklahoma: Miami 147,000 315,000 21
Oregon: Hermiston-Pendleton 355,000 569,900 20
Pennsylvania: Johnstown 98,500 290,000 35
Rhode Island: Providence-Warwick 529,900 525,500 1
South Carolina: Bennettsville 127,170 359,925 16
South Dakota: Vermillion 199,900 369,900 11
Tennessee: Union City 187,000 444,900 27
Texas: Vernon 109,250 384,900 71
Utah: Price 414,000 619,900 9
Vermont: Rutland 275,000 447,250 4
Virginia: Big Stone Gap 154,500 449,000 12
Washington: Moses Lake 383,700 649,000 20
West Virginia: Mount Gay-Shamrock 105,000 229,900 13
Wisconsin: Marinette 222,400 374,900 23
Wyoming: Rock Springs 291,000 459,000 9