How Does Butte’s Cost Of Living Compare To Your Income?

BUTTE, MT - If you live here in the Butte-iful Montana town of Butte, do you feel like you live comfortably with your expenses compared to your income?

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It's a tough question. Partially because there are so many variables that come to mind, such as increasing costs for groceries, gas, housing, and other basic necessities—which are not only exploding nationwide, but are especially growing here in Butte. There are many theories as to why, and most are probably correct, but what do the actual numbers have to say about it? How does Butte and its cost of living compare to the nation average, and how does it compare to how much its people are actually making here?

Going off of the numbers provided by BestPlaces.net, there are some surprising takes about the cost of living here in Butte. Overall, BestPlaces gave Butte's cost of living a score of 79.6 out of a 100 (100 being the national average). What does that mean? It means that Butte's overall cost of living is 20% lower than that of the nation's average.

Breaking that number down, grocery is given an unsurprising score of 97.8, almost matching the nation average. Other metrics include housing (56.5), utilities (86), transportation (72.8), and healthcare (a whopping 104.4, meaning above the nation average), which all compile to give us that 79.6 overall score for Butte. By the way, the entire state Montana ranks at an even 100, meaning the nation average cost of living matches that of the state. Wait, that's good news for us here in Butte, right?

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In my opinion, the news gets better. Referring to BestPlaces about how much it costs for the average citizen to live in Butte comfortably, they say to "live comfortably in Butte-Silver Bow, Montana, a minimum annual income of $46,080 for a family, and $25,200 for a single person is recommended." So, let's move over to the United States Census Bureau data and see how those numbers compare to our numbers provided by BestPlaces.

According to the 2020 Census data (and using the 2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates), the median household income in Butte, MT is $55,606 per year, which is well above the recommended $46,080 for a family, and remarkably higher than the $25,200 for a single person. In comparison to other Montana cities, these numbers make Butte not only one of the most affordable cities in Montana, but also a city where the average citizen makes enough to live comfortably within its borders.

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Now, what about the implications? These numbers are simply to serve as an overall metric for socioeconomic comparisons, and aren't meant to serve as the benchmark for all Butte citizens. No matter how much you make and no matter where you are, it is up to the individual to decide if they live comfortably or not. No one else can tell anyone what that magic number is. But it could be even just slightly comforting knowing our town is doing alright in comparison to a lot of other cities.

The question then becomes, where do we go from here?