How Much Money You Need to Live Comfortably in Montana in 2026

A new report recently landed in my Inbox about how much you need to earn per year to live comfortably in each state. Of course, "live comfortably" almost certainly means something different for each of us.

One person's version of "comfortably" might mean a large, freshly-built house with a huge pool out back and a three-car garage full of late-model SUVs. This person might also require a maid service to reach their required level of comfort.

On the flip side, living comfortably in Montana might mean not having to worry about how you're going to pay your power bill this month AND put gas in your car. Or, being able to afford a steak more than once a month.

You now need six figures to live comfortably in Montana

The folks at SmartAsset.com released their annual report on how much money it takes to live comfortably in each state, and in Montana (I hope you're sitting down), it takes quite a bit: $100,797 a year for a single person. A family of four requires a whopping $249,43.

Smart Asset defined living comfortably as "what a full-time worker must earn to cover minimum basic needs." Based on their findings, the hourly wage for a single person to live comfortably in Montana would equate to roughly $48/hr. Last time I looked, there weren't very many jobs in Big Sky Country that paid nearly $50 an hour.

Here's the other shocking (not shocking?) stat.

Montana's cost to live comfortably grew the most of all the states, jumping a dramatic 8.6% since 2025. Surely you received an 8.6% cost-of-living raise to keep up. No? Me neither.

Housing is probably a tiny bit cheaper here. Photo by Thomas Bush IV on Unsplash

The most expensive state to live in comfortably?

Hawaii tops the list at $129,002 for a single person. Massachusetts, California, New York, and New Jersey round out the top 5 most expensive places to live comfortably.

Get our free mobile app

The most affordable state to live comfortably is Tennessee, where you can get by pretty well on $89,898 a year.

The Best Summer Movies of 2026

The summer movie season was very good to us this year; were its highest highlights.

Remembering the Country Stars Who Died in 2026

So far in 2026, country fans have mourned the deaths of country legends and other large-looming figures of pop culture. Keep reading to remember the singers, musicians, actors and other notable figures we've lost this year.

Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak