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Custer County, MT

Rent vs Own in Custer County, Montana

Owning the median home in Custer County clears the monthly bar: about $1,360/mo versus HUD's $1,608/mo 2-bedroom rent. The stack below shows which line items create that edge. Owner-occupied homes: 3,520.

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Buying is cheaper in Custer County

Owning runs about $1,360/mo here, under $1,608/mo to rent a comparable 2-bedroom. That is a $248/mo difference.

Based on 20% down, 6.5% rate, 30-year mortgage. Adjust below.

What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in Custer County

Primary driver

Buying compares well inside the state

Using the assumptions above, Custer County ranks 9 of 56 Montana counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 47 other Montana counties on this measure.

Decision signal 2

Price and income sit in the middle band

Median household income is $70,605, for a 3.1x home-price-to-income ratio in the middle of the national distribution; property tax takes 3.2% of that income. Small changes in down payment or rate move this county across the rent-vs-own line more than they would in a high-ratio market.

Decision signal 3

Owning clears the monthly bar here

Custer County's median home ($219,100) carries $2,264/yr in property tax at 1.03%. Under a 20% down, 6.5%, 30-year stack the all-in ownership bill is about $1,360/mo, which undercuts HUD's $1,608/mo 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent by roughly $248/mo before maintenance, HOA, or closing costs.

Decision signal 4

HUD moved the rent benchmark up

HUD raised its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Custer County from $1,558/mo in FY2025 to $1,608/mo in FY2026: it increased by $50/mo (+3.2%). A rising rent benchmark widens the gap in favour of owning over time, because the mortgage share of the ownership cost below is fixed at origination while the rent it is compared against reprices every year.

Methodology & disclaimer

This calculator is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Property tax figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates and rent figures come from HUD Fair Market Rents; both describe area medians, not individual transactions. Insurance is estimated at 0.35% of home value annually and closing costs, maintenance, HOA, and PMI are not included. Consult a licensed mortgage, tax, or real-estate professional before making a buy-or-rent decision based on these numbers.

Monthly Cost Breakdown

Estimated Monthly Ownership
$1,360
Mortgage (P&I) $1,108
Property Tax $189
Insurance (est.) $64
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,608
Studio$1,109
1-Bedroom$1,226
2-Bedroom$1,608
3-Bedroom$2,154
4-Bedroom$2,322

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$70,605
$5,884/mo
Home Price / Income
3.1x
Moderate (3-5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
3.2%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Even with the loan gone, the largest group of Custer County owners still owes $3,000 or more every year - a recurring holding cost of a few hundred dollars a month, which is why "paid off" understates the real cost of keeping property here.

Households earning $50,000 to $75,000 file the largest share of these write-offs in Custer County, an ordinary middle-income profile.

Against that holding-cost profile, the monthly ownership stack already undercuts HUD rent here, so the long-run tax bill is an ownership feature more than a reason to keep renting.

Bill bands are Census ACS counts of owner-occupied homes without a mortgage. Income brackets are IRS Statistics of Income county data for tax year 2022, counted over FILERS reporting real-estate taxes on Schedule A, which is a smaller group than homeowners: most filers take the standard deduction.

Nearby Counties

Yellowstone County
Home: $349,500 Tax: $2,832/yr
Flathead County
Home: $535,500 Tax: $3,120/yr
Gallatin County
Home: $667,600 Tax: $3,933/yr
Missoula County
Home: $472,100 Tax: $4,150/yr
Cascade County
Home: $265,300 Tax: $2,320/yr
Lewis and Clark County
Home: $393,500 Tax: $3,113/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Custer County, Montana? ▼
On the standard 20%-down / 6.5% stack, owning the median Custer County home undercuts HUD's 2-bedroom rent by about $248/mo. Change the down payment, rate, or time horizon in the calculator and that gap can flip - owning also builds equity that rent never does.
What is the average rent in Custer County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,608/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $1,213/mo, so the per-bedroom jump is worth checking against your actual space needs before assuming the 2-BR figure applies to your situation.
How does Custer County compare to other Montana counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 56 Montana counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Custer County lands at spot 9, putting it in the more buy-favorable quarter of the state. The <a href="/states/montana">Montana state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
How much house can you afford in Custer County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $70,605 household here can afford up to $211,815 -- about $7,285 short of this county's $219,100 median home. That gap is typically closed with a larger down payment, dual incomes, or a longer search outside the median price band.
What is the median home price in Custer County? ▼
$219,100, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 1.03% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
Is rent going up or down in Custer County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has risen 3.2% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey). See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPropertyTax

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finances State and local property tax revenue by jurisdiction · 2025

Verify with HUD →