Is Montana’s Most Expensive City Seeing A Change In Cost?

Montana is an expensive place to live, and depending on which part of the state you live in, it will even cost more.

Want to live near a National Park? That's more expensive. Want mountain views? Close to rivers and lakes? That's going to cost you as well. How about a college town? That's an extra cost.

Certain towns in Montana seem to be more desirable than others, and because of that, they tend to cost more to live in. We all know the popularity of places like Bozeman, Missoula, Kalispell, and others. These cities have continued to grow in population and price. However, is there a change on the horizon?

Take Bozeman, for example. According to the folks over at American Expedition, Bozeman is the most expensive city to live in Montana, and as a resident of the city, I can confirm that's true.

READ MORE: Montana's fastest growing city, and it's not Bozeman

For the last few years, if you had a home to sell in Bozeman, you made bank compared to those who were buying and almost certainly paid more than the home was worth. Even the apartments are crazy expensive when compared to other cities around the state.

However, it seems the winds of change are blowing in Bozeman's direction.

According to an article in the Montana Free Press, the Bozeman rental market is starting to see a big change as far as available units. During the height of folks moving to Bozeman around the pandemic, available rental units were at a minimum, which meant that landlords were taking full advantage of raising rent.

However, things have changed as hundreds of new units have been built in the last few years. So, what does that mean for renters in the city? Well, it means that you have options, which include leverage when it comes to your lease.

Gone are the days of being stuck with what you get and having to pay what they're asking for; with the surplus of available apartments, you can now negotiate with the landlord or property management company to get a fair deal.

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That's the good news, the bad news? Buying a home is still insanely expensive in the area.