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Powell County, MT

Rent vs Own in Powell County, Montana

HUD prices a 2-bedroom in Powell County at $1,133/mo while the ownership stack lands near $1,815/mo. That mid-sized gap is large enough that rate or down-payment tweaks usually cannot close it alone. Owner-occupied homes: 1,764.

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Renting is cheaper in Powell County

A 2-bedroom rental here runs $1,133/mo, meaningfully below the $1,815/mo ownership stack on the default assumptions. That is a $682/mo difference.

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

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

Primary driver

Renting wins by a mid-sized monthly gap

Powell County lists a $306,500 median home with $2,104/yr property tax (0.69%). HUD's $1,133/mo 2-bedroom rent undercuts the ~$1,815/mo ownership stack by a mid-range margin of about $682/mo. Closing that gap usually takes more than a cosmetic rate tweak, price, tax load, or both.

Decision signal 2

Renting compares well inside the state

Using the assumptions above, Powell County ranks 42 of 56 Montana counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 14 other Montana counties on this measure.

Decision signal 3

Price and income sit in the middle band

Median household income is $66,923, for a 4.6x home-price-to-income ratio in the middle of the national distribution; property tax takes 3.1% 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 4

HUD moved the rent benchmark up

HUD raised its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Powell County from $1,098/mo in FY2025 to $1,133/mo in FY2026: it increased by $35/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
$1,815
Mortgage (P&I) $1,550
Property Tax $175
Insurance (est.) $89
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,133
Studio$849
1-Bedroom$884
2-Bedroom$1,133
3-Bedroom$1,576
4-Bedroom$1,832

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$66,923
$5,577/mo
Home Price / Income
4.6x
Moderate (3-5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
3.1%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Even with the loan gone, the largest group of Powell 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 Powell County, an ordinary middle-income profile.

With ownership already mid-range more expensive than rent month-to-month, that annual bill reinforces why cash-flow renters stay put unless they are deliberately buying for tenure rather than monthly savings.

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 Powell County, Montana? ▼
Renting the HUD 2-bedroom is the clearer monthly path in Powell County by roughly $682/mo under default loan assumptions. Closing a gap this size usually needs a meaningfully lower price or rate, not a cosmetic tweak.
What is the average rent in Powell County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,133/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $983/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 much house can you afford in Powell County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $66,923 household here can afford up to $200,769 -- about $105,731 short of this county's $306,500 median home. That gap is typically closed with a larger down payment, dual incomes, or a longer search outside the median price band.
How does Powell County compare to other Montana counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 56 Montana counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Powell County lands at spot 42, putting it in the more rent-favorable quarter of the state. The <a href="/states/montana">Montana state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
What is the median home price in Powell County? ▼
$306,500, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 0.69% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
Is rent going up or down in Powell 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

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