Cost of living in Columbia Falls, Montana
Simple answer
Typical rent is $1,016 a month.
Columbia Falls is a city in Montana. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $75,766 a year.
- People
- 5,615
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $1,016
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $75,766
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $384,400
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $1,682
- Flathead County, MT
Columbia Falls, Montana has about 5,615 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $384,400.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Flathead County is $1,682 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Columbia Falls. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
Montana's prices sit at 94.6 when the U.S. average is 100. This place is not in a metro area with its own index, so this is the state number from BEA for 2024.
Montana taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 0.0% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Columbia Falls's exact store tax.
In July 2026, a typical Montana home paid 14.99¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Columbia Falls's bill.
EIA did not publish a 2025 all-grades gas price for Montana in the table we use.
Among 79 places we list in Montana with a rent figure, 31 have higher typical rent than Columbia Falls.
Nearby places
- Whitefish
Typical rent $1,354
Compare with Columbia Falls - Evergreen
Typical rent $1,166
Compare with Columbia Falls - Kalispell
Typical rent $1,078
Compare with Columbia Falls - Somers
Typical rent $1,131
Compare with Columbia Falls - Bigfork
Typical rent $1,016
Compare with Columbia Falls - LakesideCompare with Columbia Falls
- Polson
Typical rent $912
- Eureka
Typical rent $1,038
Compare with Columbia Falls
EBT nearby
USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.
Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.
Food stamps (SNAP) tools in Montana
Bigger places in Montana
Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.