Montana’s Rent Nightmare: You’ll Need Two Jobs For Basic Housing

Montana Rent Prices Are Skyrocketing Under The Big Sky

While I, along with many Montana residents, am upset about how our property taxes have exploded over the last few years, I'm thankful I own my own home.

Rent in Montana has also exploded, and the amount you need to work to afford rent under the Big Sky is concerning to say the least.

What Locals Are Paying: Real-Life Rent in Montana

Our newest DJ, Chris Cards, who just came to Montana a few months ago, is paying right around $2,000 a month in rent.

It's been over 15 years since I rented, but at the time I had never paid more than $550 a month, which means Chris is paying over 3.5 times the amount I last paid for my rental.

For people working for the minimum wage, it's practically criminal how much they have to work PER WEEK to afford a fair market price for a 1-bedroom rental.

What It Takes to Afford Rent In Montana

The minimum wage in America is 7.25, while here in Montana it's 10.55, which is fantastic that we're above the national wage.

Still, for people in Montana to work a minimum wage job and afford a 1 bedroom apartment they would have to work 87 hours a week, that's according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC).

The Harsh Reality For Minimum Wage Workers

That's right, two full-time jobs are required to afford a fair market price for a 1-bedroom rental.

To work only 40 hours for that same 1-bedroom rental, you would need to be making at least $22.99 an hour, while for a 2-bedroom rental, you'd need to be making $28.99.

Check the gallery below to see how much you need to be paid per hour in the 3 largest cities in Montana to afford a 2-bedroom rental.

Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition