Missoula cost of living (apartment, rentals, insurance)

[Todd4]

Hello,

Can a person rent a nice older apartment in Missoula and live comfortably/enjoy the ammenities of Missoula on $35,000 a year salary?

Thank you.

[Greybear]

I would think so. I rented a 2 bed 1 bath duplex with a yard and garage for around 500-550/month. Although that was 5 years ago. It really depends on your other expenses, such as kids, car payments, etc.

[dakota79]

Since I am also considering Missoula, I also would like an opinion on cost of living.

I know I cannot afford the homes there, but I think I will be fine with the rentals, which is what I want anyway.

Right now, I pay $500 a month in N Dakota for a 1 bedroom apartment. It appears that I should be able to get something (maybe less sq footage) for about that price or maybe up to $600. I have no car payment or insurance since I don't drive, and obviously no property tax since I rent. I am single, so I have no children to support.

If I transfer with my company, I already know my wage will not decrease. I live a very simple, non-elaborate lifestyle. That being said, after all my expenses, I have about $600 to spare each month where I am now.

Will other things in Missoula be so expensive that my $600 a month that I have extra not cover? I know groceries may be a bit more, but being that I am single, I don't buy that much anyway.

I was reading some apartment reviews, and one person was complaining about her utility bill. She said something about how the bill was not just for her own usage. Someone else had posted a reply saying that "you obviously don't know how apartment utilities work in Montana".

Can anyone elaborate on this?

[JetMech72]

There are numerous ads for rentals after a Google search of "apartment rentals in missoula"

Places 4 Rent

As silly as it sounds, even craigslist has some good stuff from time to time.

[Greensleeves]

Each time I visit Missoula, I fall more and more in love with it. Just FYI.

[tmattern]

We are thinking about moving to MT and are having a hard time deciding where the best place would be to live we both need jobs and have 2 kids living with us can anybody help out as to where the best jobs are and the cost of living in not real bad.

[tmattern]

we plan on renting for a while, I have training in elderly care and I also havr training to work in group homes for troubled kids. my husband knows carpentry, and construction.

[elliottmew]

I currently rent a 2bd/1ba apartment at the base of the south hills in Missoula for $575/month. This is a little on the low end since I'm in an older building, but you could definitely find something close to this price. As far as other costs go, my gas/electric bill is anywhere from $40-$120 depending on the month. Gas right now is around $3.80/gallon.

Overall, Missoula isn't too expensive. However, we do have pretty low wages. I work in the Human Resource department of one of Missoula's largest employers and many out-of-state applicants are shocked when I tell them the wage scales for our positions.

Missoula is an amazing community, though. So you pay to live here one way or another. Many people gladly take pay cuts to live here.