Hays, Montana Cost Of Living

Buy Rent

A+

Overall 20%

Goods & Services 6%

Housing 66%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2019 and was released from C2ER in January, 2020; 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	Hays	Montana	National
Cost of living	80	100	100
Goods & Services	106	106	100
Groceries	104	104	100
Health care	95	95	100
Housing	34	99	100
Transportation	91	91	100
Utilities	86	86	100

Key findings

The cost of living in Hays is 20% lower than the Montana average
The cost of living in Hays is 20% lower than the national average
Hays housing is 66% lower than the national average
Montana general sales tax is 100% lower than the national average
Montana state income tax is 59% lower than the national average

Most Affordable Places to Live in and Around Hays

See all the best places to live around Hays

Compare Hays, MT Cost of Living

See all Hays poll results

The best places in Montana

Here are the best places to live in Montana

Top 10 cities in Montana with the best education system

See the best places to live in & around Hays

10 best cities to buy a new house in Montana

Salary Calculator

This is how much you would need to earn in

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	$35,156	$2,930	$820	$1,055
Renters	$21,667	$1,806	$506	$650

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%	6.9%

Goods & Services

Item	Hays	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$18.42	$17.49	5.3%
Beauty Salon	$35.04	$38.17	8.2%
Toothpaste	$2.42	$2.32	4.3%
Shampoo	$1.11	$1.01	9.7%
Movie	$11.30	$10.72	5.4%
Bowling	$14.28	$13.86	3.0%

Groceries

Item	Hays	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.99	$3.90	2.3%
Fried Chicken	$1.50	$1.40	7.5%
Milk	$1.91	$1.96	2.7%
Potatoes	$4.41	$3.18	38.5%
Pizza	$12.02	$10.39	15.6%
Beer	$8.54	$9.23	7.5%

Health Care

Item	Hays	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$132.98	$106.34	25.1%
Doctor	$96.50	$115.25	16.3%
Dentist	$96.50	$98.38	1.9%
Ibuprofen	$8.99	$9.26	2.9%
Lipitor	$443.81	$466.47	4.9%

Housing

Item	Hays	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$58,700.00	$184,700.00	68.2%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,677.79	$1,273.32	31.8%
Apartment Rent	$375.00	$949.00	60.5%

Transportation

Item	Hays	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.60	$2.59	0.4%
Tire Balancing	$38.30	$48.90	21.7%

Utilities

Item	Hays	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$131.71	$167.60	21.4%
Phone	$173.32	$163.42	6.1%

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, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Zortman, MT	26	100	0%
Lodge Pole, MT	257	82	-18%
Hays, MT	1,023	80	-20%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Calmar, IA	1,023	82	-18%
Lynnview, KY	1,023	89	-11%
Timberlane, IL	1,023	111	11%
Avonmore, PA	1,023	86	-14%
Stem, NC	1,023	90	-10%
Hays, MT	1,023	80	-20%

Source: The Hays, MT cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2019.

Hays, MT Cost of Living

Find real estate listings

Find rental listings