Cost Of Living in Columbia Falls, MT

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2%

Overall NAT. AVG.

10%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

7%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Columbia Falls	Montana	National
Cost of living	98	101	100
Goods & Services	90	104	100
Groceries	100	103	100
Health care	93	98	100
Housing	107	99	100
Transportation	103	109	100
Utilities	93	93	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Columbia Falls is 3% lower than the Montana average
The cost of living in Columbia Falls is 2% lower than the national average
Columbia Falls housing is 7% higher than the national average
Montana general sales tax is 100% lower than the national average
Montana state income tax is 61% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$61,813	$5,151	$1,442	$1,855
Renters	$19,668	$1,639	$459	$590

To approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Columbia Falls, MT, we can look at the percentage of income that is available to be spent on monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side, a consumer should not spend more than 28% of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36% of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in Columbia Falls have a median income of $61,813. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $1,442 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $19,668, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $459.

Montana Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Montana	0%	0%

Montana Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Montana	1%	6.75%

Goods & Services

Item	Columbia Falls	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$15.71	$24.26	35.2%
Beauty Salon	$37.87	$45.56	16.9%
Toothpaste	$4.19	$3.70	13.3%
Shampoo	$1.16	$1.28	9.2%
Movie	$12.99	$12.13	7.1%
Bowling	$16.78	$18.00	6.8%

Groceries

Item	Columbia Falls	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$6.31	$5.84	8.0%
Fried Chicken	$1.59	$1.57	1.2%
Milk	$4.55	$4.67	2.5%
Potatoes	$4.61	$4.93	6.5%
Pizza	$12.03	$12.09	0.5%
Beer	$10.57	$10.41	1.5%

Health Care

Item	Columbia Falls	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$105.94	$125.68	15.7%
Doctor	$115.67	$135.78	14.8%
Dentist	$112.63	$113.29	0.6%
Ibuprofen	$10.57	$10.65	0.7%
Lipitor	$444.64	$468.60	5.1%

Housing

Item	Columbia Falls	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$218,100.00	$184,700.00	18.1%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,553.45	$2,346.69	33.8%
Apartment Rent	$785.00	$949.00	17.3%

Transportation

Item	Columbia Falls	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.37	$3.46	2.5%
Tire Balancing	$69.17	$59.92	15.4%

Utilities

Item	Columbia Falls	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$176.82	$193.99	8.9%
Phone	$182.36	$192.25	5.1%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Hungry Horse, MT	650	82	18.4%
Martin City, MT	369	84	16.0%
Batavia, MT	480	100	0.5%
Coram, MT	302	97	3.1%
Evergreen, MT	8,416	101	0.5%
Columbia Falls, MT	5,651	98	1.9%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
North Windham, ME	5,651	113	12.9%
Clarion, PA	5,650	92	8.1%
Covington, VA	5,653	84	15.7%
Oliver, BC	5,648	n/a
Didsbury, AB	5,654	n/a
Columbia Falls, MT	5,651	98	1.9%