Best Places to Buy Rental Property in Montana (2026)
8 Montana cities ranked by entry price, $315,000 to $995,000, each with 100+ tracked closings inside the city limits.
There is no honest way to rank Montana cities by rental return without rent data, and this page does not have it. What it does have is transaction evidence: the median price homes actually closed at inside each city's limits, and how many closings happened. That answers the two questions that come before any cash flow analysis, what it costs to get in and whether you can get back out.
What this page measures, and what it does not
Every city below cleared at least 100 closings in its reporting window, which filters out markets too thin to read. They are ranked cheapest first by median closed price, from $315,000 to $995,000. You will not find rent estimates, rent-to-price ratios, cap rates, cash-on-cash projections or gross yield rankings here. Resideline does not have verified rent data for these cities, so publishing those numbers would be invention rather than analysis. Entry price and transaction volume are what the data supports. Every figure describes closings inside the city limits, not the wider postal area that shares the city's name. The two can differ a lot: a postal area usually reaches into surrounding townships, which pulls the median toward whatever those townships are worth. Montana's statewide median closed price is $549,000 across 5,128 tracked closings.
The rankings
| City | Median closed price | Closings tracked | Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butte | $315,000 | 231 | 6 months |
| Great Falls | $345,000 | 496 | 6 months |
| Helena | $429,900 | 216 | 6 months |
| Kalispell | $525,000 | 270 | 6 months |
| Missoula | $540,000 | 544 | 6 months |
| Belgrade | $554,900 | 179 | 6 months |
| Bozeman | $659,245 | 440 | 6 months |
| Whitefish | $995,000 | 255 | 12 months |
1. Butte, $315,000, 231 closings
At $315,000 the entry price is about 57 percent of the Montana median. Resideline tracked 231 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 38 a month. About 88 percent of those closings are houses, so the figure describes that segment rather than every property type. Full detail is on the Butte market page.
2. Great Falls, $345,000, 496 closings
At $345,000 the entry price is about 63 percent of the Montana median. Resideline tracked 496 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 83 a month. About 84 percent of those closings are houses, so the figure describes that segment rather than every property type. Full detail is on the Great Falls market page.
3. Helena, $429,900, 216 closings
At $429,900 the entry price is about 78 percent of the Montana median. Resideline tracked 216 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 36 a month. Full detail is on the Helena market page.
4. Kalispell, $525,000, 270 closings
At $525,000 the entry price is about 96 percent of the Montana median. Resideline tracked 270 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 45 a month. Full detail is on the Kalispell market page.
5. Missoula, $540,000, 544 closings
At $540,000 the entry price is about 98 percent of the Montana median. Resideline tracked 544 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 91 a month. Full detail is on the Missoula market page.
6. Belgrade, $554,900, 179 closings
At $554,900 the entry price is about 101 percent of the Montana median. Resideline tracked 179 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 30 a month. Full detail is on the Belgrade market page.
7. Bozeman, $659,245, 440 closings
At $659,245 the entry price is about 120 percent of the Montana median. Resideline tracked 440 closings there over the last last six months, roughly 73 a month. Full detail is on the Bozeman market page.
8. Whitefish, $995,000, 255 closings
At $995,000 the entry price is about 181 percent of the Montana median. Resideline tracked 255 closings there over the last last 12 months, roughly 21 a month. Full detail is on the Whitefish market page.
How to use this list
Treat it as a shortlist, not an answer. A citywide median cannot price a specific address: property type, size, condition and location move a number far more than the city line does. Run any address on this list through Resideline for the comparable set behind its value.
Figures last updated August 23, 2026 from closings Resideline tracked.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest Montana city to buy an investment property?
Of the 8 cities on this list, Butte has the lowest median closed price at $315,000, measured across 231 closings tracked inside the city limits.
Which affordable Montana market has the most transaction volume?
Missoula, with 544 tracked closings and a median closed price of $540,000. More closings means a deeper comparable set to price against.
Do these rankings include rent or cash flow figures?
No. Resideline does not have verified rent data for these cities, so this page ranks on entry price and transaction volume only. Publishing yields or cash-on-cash figures without rent data would be invention rather than analysis.
Do these figures cover the city or the wider postal area?
The city. Every median and count here describes closings inside the municipal boundary, which is usually a smaller and different footprint from the postal area that shares the name.
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