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Dawson County, MT

Rent vs Own in Dawson County, Montana

Owning the median home in Dawson County clears the monthly bar: about $1,167/mo versus HUD's $1,254/mo 2-bedroom rent. The stack below shows which line items create that edge. Owner-occupied homes: 2,599.

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Buying is cheaper in Dawson County

Owning runs about $1,167/mo here, under $1,254/mo to rent a comparable 2-bedroom. That is a $87/mo difference.

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

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

Primary driver

Income supports the median purchase price

Median household income is $71,334, and the 2.6x home-price-to-income ratio leaves room for the ownership stack (property tax alone is 3.0% of median income). The monthly gap above is more about mortgage rate and insurance assumptions than about the purchase price being out of reach.

Decision signal 2

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Dawson County ranks 16 of 56 Montana counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 40 other Montana counties on this measure.

Decision signal 3

HUD moved the rent benchmark up

HUD raised its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Dawson County from $1,215/mo in FY2025 to $1,254/mo in FY2026: it increased by $39/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.

Decision signal 4

Owning clears the monthly bar here

Dawson County's median home ($185,300) carries $2,110/yr in property tax at 1.14%. Under a 20% down, 6.5%, 30-year stack the all-in ownership bill is about $1,167/mo, which undercuts HUD's $1,254/mo 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent by roughly $87/mo before maintenance, HOA, or closing costs.

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
$1,167
Mortgage (P&I) $937
Property Tax $176
Insurance (est.) $54
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,254
Studio$940
1-Bedroom$956
2-Bedroom$1,254
3-Bedroom$1,504
4-Bedroom$1,942

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$71,334
$5,945/mo
Home Price / Income
2.6x
Affordable (≤3x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
3.0%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

A $2,000 to $2,999 yearly bill greets most paid-off owners in Dawson County, above what the majority of American counties charge and heavy enough that a fixed retirement income feels it directly.

Dawson County matches the national pattern: six-figure earners between $100,000 and $200,000 account for more of these write-offs than any other local group.

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

What is the average rent in Dawson County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,254/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $1,002/mo, so the per-bedroom jump is worth checking against your actual space needs before assuming the 2-BR figure applies to your situation.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Dawson County, Montana? ▼
On the standard 20%-down / 6.5% stack, owning the median Dawson County home undercuts HUD's 2-bedroom rent by about $87/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.
How much house can you afford in Dawson County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $71,334 household here can afford up to $214,002, which comfortably covers this county's $185,300 median home price -- a healthier affordability picture than many of the counties tracked on this site.
What is the median home price in Dawson County? ▼
$185,300, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 1.14% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
How does Dawson County compare to other Montana counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 56 Montana counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Dawson County lands at spot 16, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/montana">Montana state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
Is rent going up or down in Dawson 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 →