Cost of Living in Kalispell
Kalispell's cost of living combines Montana's real statewide tax advantages with a genuine, disclosed local affordability strain on housing and rent.
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Learn moreNo sales tax, low property tax
Montana levies no general sales tax, and Kalispell isn't a designated resort community, so no local resort tax applies. The statewide effective property tax rate runs ~0.74%, below the national average.
Housing and rent run genuinely elevated relative to income
Kalispell's average home value (~$566,000) and median rent (~$1,952/month) outpace the city's own ~$62,000 median household income -- a real, disclosed affordability gap local economists call the worst in Montana.
A cooling market, not yet a cheaper one
Homes spent a median 72 days on market as of May 2026 (up 10.8% YoY) with 6.5 months of supply -- a real buyer's-market signal, though prices themselves have not meaningfully fallen.
Key takeaways
- Kalispell benefits from Montana's no-sales-tax, low-property-tax statewide structure.
- Housing and rent costs run genuinely high relative to local median income.
- The housing market is cooling in pace, not yet in price.
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