Is Missoula One of the Worst Cities to Rent in America?

When I moved to Missoula from New York about a year ago, I was pretty confused by how people were describing the housing market around town. Because I was used to super-expensive NY prices, where even the lousiest one-bedroom apartment could cost you $1000 per month, I was thrilled to come here and find apartments in the $600-$700 range, many with utilities included.

That's when I learned that Missoula is actually much more expensive than most other cities in Montana, and I've seen the way it's evolved over the past year. New places are being developed, existing places are being renovated and remodeled - it's even happening in my current building, where my own rent is actually about to go up.

So I came across this list that Wallet Hub put out ranking a bunch of cities in America, from best to worst, on how good they are for people renting places. Out of 182 cities, Missoula came in at number 118 - not the worst, but definitely further down the list than I think a lot of people would like to see. New York City actually somehow ranked higher, coming in at 99.

So if you're looking for cheaper housing and great quality of life, you're gonna want to pack up and move to Scottsdale, Arizona, which took the number one spot.