Cost of Living

This small Montana town is going above and beyond to help teachers find affordable housing.

Why is living in Montana so expensive? If you look at it this way, it really isn't that bad.

This might be a frustrating town but it's not short on wit and quick retorts.

I had a very interesting conversation yesterday with a friend I hadn't seen in months. We hadn't seen each other because she and her husband moved from Bozeman to Butte.

Rent is no joke around Gallatin County. Prices are sky high, and resentment is rising. Don't ask a stupid question online if you're not prepared to get verbally destroyed.

Bozeman has hit the big time, and there's no turning back now.

Most of my favorite things to spend $10 on involve food, but that's just me. But if you need to be a little frugal but also need a little pick-me-up, Bozeman does have some good options for about $10.

We're in trouble. This isn't a "shake your head" broken record thing anymore. Montana towns are in deep, serious, fast-moving financial transformation. I've sugar-coated my personal concerns about Bozeman's change up until now. I can't do that anymore.

Back in the day, Boise, Idaho was usually on these types of lists: "most affordable metros in the U.S." How far removed are we now?

I've sort of lost perspective of the cost of basic things in the last 18 months. Turns out, Bozeman has it's own brand of hefty inflation. Supply chain issues are VERY serious around here and those problems are hitting the restaurants big time.

Home prices and property taxes are not on this list. However, in an age of constant internal Bozeman Bashing, there are still MANY things that I appreciate about living here.

With all the talk about Bozeman's housing prices, property taxes and the cost of living here in general, a few of us got together over beers to discuss long time residents not being able to afford living here anymore. (Socially distanced, of course.)