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Cost & Benefits

Cost of living in Plains, Montana

Simple answer

Typical rent is $843 a month.

Plains is a town in Montana. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $25,491 a year.

Is Plains affordable?See benefits in Plains
People
1,195
Census average, 2020–2024
Typical rent
$843
Median gross rent, includes utilities
Typical pay
$25,491
Median household income, yearly
Typical home
$248,300
Median home value
2-bedroom fair rent
$1,117
Sanders County, MT

Plains, Montana has about 1,195 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $248,300.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Sanders County is $1,117 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Plains. 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 Plains'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 Plains'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, 54 have higher typical rent than Plains.

Nearby places

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.

Find SNAP stores near PlainsWhat EBT can buy in Montana

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.