Cost of Living & Housing in Malta
Malta's cost of living centers on genuinely low home prices relative to Montana's own elevated statewide averages, paired with a real, disclosed tension: Malta's effective property tax RATE runs above both the national and Montana statewide medians.
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Learn moreA genuinely affordable home price relative to Montana statewide
Malta's own median home price ran approximately $130,200 (Ownwell) -- far below Montana's own $467,919 statewide average home value (base record). A separate Zillow figure runs substantially higher ($228,739), a real, disclosed cross-source divergence this record does not resolve to one number.
A 1.33% effective property tax rate -- above both the national and Montana statewide medians
Malta's own 1.33% effective property tax rate (Ownwell) runs genuinely above the national median (approximately 1.02%) and the Montana statewide median Ownwell itself cites (0.83%) -- a real, disclosed local exception to Montana's broader low-property-tax reputation. The resulting dollar bill still stays moderate ($1,718 median annual bill, below the $2,400 national median) only because Malta's home values run so low (base record).
Montana's 5.65% top income tax rate and no general sales tax
Montana's real, current 2026 individual income tax runs a two-bracket structure topping out at 5.65% on income above $47,500 (single/MFS) or $95,000 (MFJ), with a further reduction to 5.4% scheduled for 2027. Montana levies no general statewide sales tax, and Malta is not one of the narrow list of resort communities that levy a local exception (base record).
Confirm current rent and employer data directly
A reliable, city-specific median rent figure and a confirmed, current named-employer list beyond Phillips County Hospital were not found with confidence this pass -- confirm both directly with the Phillco Economic Growth Council (base record).
Key takeaways
- Malta's median home price runs approximately $130,200 -- genuinely affordable relative to Montana's own $467,919 statewide average.
- Malta's own 1.33% effective property tax rate runs above both the national and Montana statewide medians, even though the resulting dollar bill ($1,718) stays moderate.
- Montana's 5.65% top income tax rate and lack of a general sales tax apply in Malta as they do statewide.
- A confirmed, current rent figure and named-employer list were not found with confidence this pass -- confirm both directly.
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