Cost of Living in Polson
Polson's cost of living runs a real, disclosed mixed picture: elevated housing costs offset by genuinely favorable property taxes and no state sales tax.
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Learn moreElevated but cooling housing costs
Polson's Zillow Home Value Index ran ~$541,265 (Jan 2026); Lake County's median sale price ran ~$573,000, down 23.8% YoY.
Genuinely favorable property taxes
Polson/Lake County's effective property tax rate (~0.61%) runs below both the 1.02% national median and Montana's own ~0.74% statewide average.
No general statewide sales tax
Montana levies no general statewide sales tax, a real, defining relocation advantage.
Key takeaways
- Polson's housing costs run above the national median despite a real, recent cooling.
- Property taxes run genuinely favorable both nationally and within Montana.
- Montana's lack of a general sales tax offsets some of Polson's housing-cost premium.
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