State FMR profile · HUD FY2026

Fair Market Rents in Montana

The average 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Montana is $1,076/mo - 12% above the US average.

Compiled by PlainRent · August 5, 2026

$1,076
Avg 1BR FMR: 56
Counties: 5
Metro areas

The verdict

Montana's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,336 - 14% above the US average, the 22nd highest of 51 states.

Montana's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom averages $1,336, 14% above the US average - the 22nd highest of 51 states. A household needs about $53,440 in annual income to afford it under HUD's 30% affordability rule, and rents vary 105% between the state's cheapest and priciest counties.

#22
most expensive of 51 states (2BR): +14%
vs the US 2-bedroom average: $53,440
income to afford it (30% rule): 105%
gap, cheapest→priciest county

Montana ranks 22nd priciest but 1st of 51 by rent GROWTH (+19.7% YoY) - a comparatively affordable state getting notably more expensive, worth watching.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents for 56 counties and 5 metro areas in MT. Verify with HUD →

What these rents mean for Montana

Across Montana's 56 counties and 5 metro areas, HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent averages $1,076/mo for a 1-bedroom (studio through 4-bedroom averages are broken out below). FMR is set at the county or metro FMR area level, not statewide, so that figure is the arithmetic average of every FMR area inside MT, weighted equally. Local housing authorities use each county's or metro's FMR (not the state average) to calibrate Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher payment standards, typically ranging from 90% to 110% of FMR.

Benchmarked against the rest of the country, Montana's average 1-bedroom FMR of $1,076 is 12% above the US average of $959. Inside the state, rents are not uniform - the cheapest 1-bedroom FMR is in Powder River County at $800, while the most expensive is in Gallatin County at $1,642, a spread of roughly 105% between the lowest- and highest-cost counties. That intra-state dispersion is why urban voucher recipients, families relocating for jobs, and landlords setting Section 8 rents all need to check the specific FMR area rather than rely on a statewide figure.

For affordability, the 30% rule implies a household income of $43,040 per year (about $3,587/month) to afford Montana's average 1-bedroom at $1,076. With a state population of 1,105,072 and median household income of $69,922, a significant share of Montana renters fall above the 30% cost-burden threshold in higher-FMR counties. Pair these rent figures with Montana's rent burden rankings and year-over-year rent growth pages to see which counties are tightening fastest and which remain comparatively affordable.

Where Montana sits among all 50 states + DC

Average 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. every US state

$1,336 higher than 57% of 51 states

Each bar is a $0.1K-wide band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

State Average vs National Average

Studio

$988

+11% vs US avg

1 BR

$1,076

+12% vs US avg

2 BR

$1,336

+14% vs US avg

3 BR

$1,789

+17% vs US avg

4 BR

$2,113

+20% vs US avg

Gallatin County

$1,642
Broadwater County

$1,595
Missoula County

$1,400
Park County

$1,385
Lewis and Clark County

$1,319
Flathead County

$1,289
Teton County

$1,241
Musselshell County

$1,226
Custer County

$1,226
Wibaux County

$1,208

What this shows Inside MT, 1-bedroom FMR runs from $800 in Powder River County to $1,642 in Gallatin County.

Cheapest Counties

Lowest FMR rental costs →

Most Expensive Counties

Highest FMR rental costs →

Rent Burden

% of income spent on rent →

Rent Growth

YoY rent trends by county →

Metro areas in Montana

Each metro FMR area applies one rent schedule across all its counties, ranked here by 1-bedroom FMR.

#	Metro area	Studio	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR
1	Bozeman, MT MSA	$1,485	$1,642	$2,154	$2,996	$3,537
2	Broadwater County, MT HUD Metro FMR Area	$1,240	$1,595	$1,748	$2,096	$2,856
3	Billings, MT HUD Metro FMR Area	$1,016	$1,109	$1,417	$1,951	$2,216
4	Mineral County, MT HUD Metro FMR Area	$941	$1,083	$1,361	$1,632	$1,915
5	Great Falls, MT MSA	$960	$979	$1,284	$1,786	$2,035

Counties in Montana, ranked by rent (56)

All 56 counties with a published FY2026 Fair Market Rent, highest 1-bedroom first.

56 of 56

#	County	Studio	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR
1	Gallatin County	$1,485	$1,642	$2,154	$2,996	$3,537
2	Broadwater County	$1,240	$1,595	$1,748	$2,096	$2,856
3	Missoula County	$1,143	$1,400	$1,655	$2,302	$2,776
4	Park County	$1,107	$1,385	$1,605	$2,232	$2,692
5	Lewis and Clark County	$1,136	$1,319	$1,647	$2,250	$2,496
6	Flathead County	$1,267	$1,289	$1,691	$2,224	$2,837
7	Teton County	$1,019	$1,241	$1,360	$1,891	$2,171
8	Custer County	$1,109	$1,226	$1,608	$2,154	$2,322
9	Musselshell County	$1,007	$1,226	$1,344	$1,869	$2,255
10	McCone County	$1,160	$1,208	$1,548	$2,139	$2,503
11	Petroleum County	$1,160	$1,208	$1,548	$2,139	$2,503
12	Prairie County	$1,160	$1,208	$1,548	$2,139	$2,503
13	Treasure County	$1,160	$1,208	$1,548	$2,139	$2,503
14	Wibaux County	$1,160	$1,208	$1,548	$2,139	$2,503
15	Madison County	$1,154	$1,202	$1,540	$2,073	$2,583
16	Richland County	$1,143	$1,197	$1,312	$1,573	$2,201
17	Silver Bow County	$1,028	$1,149	$1,414	$1,967	$2,180
18	Ravalli County	$1,116	$1,145	$1,423	$1,979	$2,387
19	Pondera County	$940	$1,144	$1,254	$1,619	$1,892
20	Carbon County	$1,016	$1,109	$1,417	$1,951	$2,216
21	Yellowstone County	$1,016	$1,109	$1,417	$1,951	$2,216
22	Lake County	$1,097	$1,104	$1,444	$1,865	$1,990
23	Fergus County	$1,084	$1,102	$1,446	$1,991	$2,338
24	Fallon County	$1,050	$1,093	$1,401	$1,936	$2,265
25	Meagher County	$1,044	$1,087	$1,393	$1,925	$2,252
26	Mineral County	$941	$1,083	$1,361	$1,632	$1,915
27	Jefferson County	$968	$1,070	$1,404	$1,946	$1,954
28	Hill County	$980	$1,069	$1,307	$1,724	$1,731
29	Lincoln County	$919	$1,067	$1,170	$1,627	$1,892
30	Toole County	$918	$1,052	$1,230	$1,702	$1,712
31	Golden Valley County	$1,004	$1,045	$1,339	$1,862	$2,165
32	Glacier County	$956	$1,033	$1,275	$1,529	$1,836
33	Carter County	$932	$1,002	$1,244	$1,492	$2,011
34	Chouteau County	$980	$996	$1,307	$1,662	$1,950
35	Rosebud County	$889	$993	$1,186	$1,649	$1,990
36	Big Horn County	$976	$992	$1,302	$1,657	$2,115
37	Deer Lodge County	$809	$985	$1,080	$1,502	$1,812
38	Cascade County	$960	$979	$1,284	$1,786	$2,035
39	Beaverhead County	$803	$978	$1,072	$1,491	$1,798
40	Stillwater County	$884	$958	$1,257	$1,748	$2,109
41	Dawson County	$940	$956	$1,254	$1,504	$1,942
42	Sheridan County	$908	$923	$1,211	$1,684	$1,809
43	Sweet Grass County	$881	$918	$1,176	$1,551	$1,638
44	Roosevelt County	$909	$915	$1,201	$1,440	$1,942
45	Valley County	$899	$915	$1,200	$1,566	$1,753
46	Judith Basin County	$869	$905	$1,160	$1,583	$1,875
47	Blaine County	$887	$902	$1,184	$1,420	$1,914
48	Daniels County	$767	$900	$1,023	$1,414	$1,654
49	Phillips County	$729	$888	$973	$1,353	$1,573
50	Powell County	$849	$884	$1,133	$1,576	$1,832
51	Sanders County	$769	$878	$1,115	$1,337	$1,803
52	Wheatland County	$837	$872	$1,117	$1,553	$1,806
53	Garfield County	$824	$858	$1,099	$1,349	$1,777
54	Granite County	$789	$822	$1,053	$1,464	$1,702
55	Liberty County	$775	$807	$1,034	$1,438	$1,672
56	Powder River County	$768	$800	$1,025	$1,426	$1,657

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Montana? ▼

The average FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Montana is $1,076 per month. A 2-bedroom averages $1,336.

How does Montana rent compare to the national average? ▼

Montana rents are 12% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here averages $1,076 vs $959 nationally.

Where is the cheapest rent in Montana? ▼

The most affordable county is Powder River County with a 1-bedroom FMR of $800. The most expensive is Gallatin County at $1,642.

What income do I need to afford rent in Montana? ▼

Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need at least $43,040/year ($3,587/month) to afford the average 1-bedroom FMR in Montana.

Explore Montana rent data

Rent burden → Rent growth → Cheapest counties → Most expensive counties → National rent-burden rankings → Affordability calculator →

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

What this means for renters

Treat Montana's FY2026 average Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.

Budget to roughly 30% of income: the FY2026 average 1-bedroom FMR of $1,076 implies about $43,040/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
Montana's counties vary widely around this average -- compare specific counties before assuming this figure applies to yours. View county rankings
See where Montana ranks nationally on rent. National rankings

Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. This is a state-level average across 56 counties; actual asking rents in any specific county can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.

Browse all counties → | Rankings →

Data sourced from HUD Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau ACS data. See our methodology for details. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rent data (huduser.gov). Median household income and homeownership rate: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (census.gov/programs-surveys/acs).

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.