Cost of Living in Philipsburg (Missoula, Bozeman: rent, receptions, how much)

[Jpariah]

Greetings all,

I need help from those of you familiar with the economy of MT. I am considering taking a job in Philipsburg, MT that only pays about $20,000 annually. That's a good deal lower than what I make currently, but I've been told that Philipsburg is a much cheaper place to live.

Can anyone enlighten me as to real cost of living there? Would I be barely scraping by or would I be able to still put some money away in savings occasionally?

Thanks so much!

[jimj]

Alot depends on you and how many are in your group. If you're paying rent and other bills then yes you'll be scraping by just like everyone else but that's part of living here. If you own your own house/car outright then it'll be better.
You have to understand something, just about the only thing cheaper here is rent and home prices (depending on where of course) and it's only cheaper if you bring the same income you make now. We've found in all the places we've lived that for the most part "cheaper" doesn't really exist because where it's supposedly "cheaper" the pay is also in the gutter so it equals out for the most part.
Food,gas,utilities,clothes etc are the same here as most everywhere else and sometimes a little higher so that's a wash. Most don't move here for cheaper unless they're bringing a bucket full of money with them, they move here for the lifestyle and are willing to sacrafice to get it.
There's a reason it's called "poverty with a view"!
Good luck, I hope it works out for you!

[Jpariah]

I think you may be right about the rent/housing costs being the only thing that gets cheaper. I used to live in Fayetteville, AR and homes were cheaper, but the pay was much less. As for my "group", it's just me and my wife (so far). That's a whole other concern I have... I want her to be able to find a job she enjoys. I get the feeling jobs might be slim picking up there. Neither of us mind scaling back our lifestyle for access to the mountains, but I'm starting to reconsider taking this job. I may pass this up (hope I don't regret it!) and come for a visit next spring. That would give me a chance to check out the cities in person. People criticize Missoula for being hippie, but I think I might like that element. If by that they mean coffee shops, bike stores, and occasional live music. The other places I'm interested in are Bozeman and Helena. Also, I want to be near the bigger mountains so I'm not sure if Missoula is right for us. Bozeman appears to be closer to bigger peaks, but it has less rain too (and I want forested mountains). Like I said, I should probably just visit and see for myself. Any other thought for you guys out there? I appreciate the shared insight!

[bigtrees]

Originally Posted by Jpariah

I think you may be right about the rent/housing costs being the only thing that gets cheaper. I used to live in Fayetteville, AR and homes were cheaper, but the pay was much less. As for my "group", it's just me and my wife (so far). That's a whole other concern I have... I want her to be able to find a job she enjoys. I get the feeling jobs might be slim picking up there. Neither of us mind scaling back our lifestyle for access to the mountains, but I'm starting to reconsider taking this job. I may pass this up (hope I don't regret it!) and come for a visit next spring. That would give me a chance to check out the cities in person. People criticize Missoula for being hippie, but I think I might like that element. If by that they mean coffee shops, bike stores, and occasional live music. The other places I'm interested in are Bozeman and Helena. Also, I want to be near the bigger mountains so I'm not sure if Missoula is right for us. Bozeman appears to be closer to bigger peaks, but it has less rain too (and I want forested mountains). Like I said, I should probably just visit and see for myself. Any other thought for you guys out there? I appreciate the shared insight!

Visit first! That's the #1 piece of advice I can give anyone, and it sounds like you could benefit from a trip around Montana.

Bozeman does have less rain than Western Montana but the mountains are well forested. There is less vegetation and underbrush than Whitefish but have plenty of trees. Bozeman's expensive though and there's lots of shopping so you probably won't downscale much there. You'd want a lot more than 20k a year if you live in Bozeman.

Helena's a mining town if you like that sort of thing. What I mean by that is it was miners who settled there so they kinda built wherever rather than organized and planned. It's built on the side of a hill for one which is a little weird. I don't want to offend Helenites but certainly visit it first.

Your wife's ability to find a job will depend on part what her field is and part on how much she wants to make. Salaries for office managers, secretaries, receptionsists, etc in Montana often $10-$12. If she's an accountant or engineer or attorney then she can get paid more. Getting the job will be difficult and I'm not sure what her chances are in Phillipsburg.

Good luck!

[lorelei2873]

I'm from Helena adnd don't think it's weird at all. It's much more affordable than Bozeman. I've lived in Bozeman, Missoula, and Helena and like Helena best. We have a really stable economy due to state government, a fabulous trail system (the benefit of being bulit on the side of a hill), great hiking nearby, and three reservoirs for swimming, boating, and fishing very close by. Also, we have a really great Wed. evening event in the summer and several music festivals. We are the best little art town in the US.

Bozeman is a great place to visit but it's a town of haves and have nots. I used to love it.

Missoula is more overcast and gets more smoggy inversions. The mountains are almost too close in like you can't get a good view of vistas. But, it is a really nice town, especially the downtown. It's probably a better bet than Bozeman at this point. A lot of the "coolness" in Bozeman is manufactured and marketed now, whereas Missoula and Helena are still more genuine. Bozeman gets the most snow in town of the three.

[elkslayin]

Originally Posted by Jpariah

Greetings all,

I need help from those of you familiar with the economy of MT. I am considering taking a job in Philipsburg, MT that only pays about $20,000 annually. That's a good deal lower than what I make currently, but I've been told that Philipsburg is a much cheaper place to live.

Can anyone enlighten me as to real cost of living there? Would I be barely scraping by or would I be able to still put some money away in savings occasionally?

Thanks so much!

After taxes you would be at around what, 1200-1400/ month? I'm afraid for two people that would pull you in awfully tight on money. Sounds like you would be one disaster away from going under. Man, by the time you throw in rent, groceries, electric, water, and other household bills, I think you would certainly struggle here. The other problem is, 20k a year is probably about as well as one can do in p-burg, so the chances of moving on to something better may not be that great. As I have stated before, if one moves out here, you should have 6-12 months worth of savings, and a fall back plan if things don't work out. My opinion, worth price charged.

[Jpariah]

Thanks for all the great advice everyone! I really appreciate all the specifics that are hard to tell from a distance like that the Bozeman area is forested or that Helena has great trails. That's the kind of info no amount of web surfing can confirm easily.

I think my real worry is what kind of work my wife would be able to find there. With just under 1000 people there can't be many options. Plus she's very early in here career so she's not very experienced in any one area. She could go into education, but she'd probably have to get MT certified first and there are very few positions at the nearby schools anyway. I don't think she'd enjoy working at a little shop or dinner as I have seen reference to in other posts.

I know we'd both love Montana, but I think we maybe should hold off for a different opportunity in another city. Hmm....

[bigtrees]

Originally Posted by lorelei2873

I'm from Helena adnd don't think it's weird at all. It's much more affordable than Bozeman. I've lived in Bozeman, Missoula, and Helena and like Helena best. We have a really stable economy due to state government, a fabulous trail system (the benefit of being bulit on the side of a hill), great hiking nearby, and three reservoirs for swimming, boating, and fishing very close by. Also, we have a really great Wed. evening event in the summer and several music festivals. We are the best little art town in the US.

I surely didn't mean any offense to anyone from Helena. It's the hard thing about talking about towns is we all have our own preferences for towns. I know a lot of people in Helena who really like it there. I don't think I'd choose to live there but that's mainly because it's built in the side of a hill and I'm used to flat towns (I grew up in Whitefish and also lived in Bozeman, both of which are flat towns). But there are a lot of really nice things about Helena too.

[rickers]

Yea like Emilianos !