Even on the area’s higher pay, Clinton costs more to live in than 73% of U.S. towns
Up 3.1% in a year, 16% above the Montana typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Missoula, MT metro area ($75K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 1 sale in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Clinton’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($75K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up no better than renters: 18% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 0% of renters.
In dollars
- $541Ktypical home, 16% above the Montana typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,690a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 96prices across the Missoula metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 95)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 5.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$75K, Missoula-area income
- 25%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 18%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Clinton’s housing numbers say
Mostly newer homes
Half of Clinton’s homes were built after 1998, against 1981 for Montana as a whole. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Clinton’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Clinton is more affordable than 27% of U.S. towns. Rent pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Montana: up 23.2% in five years, against 23.4% statewide (Zillow).
Up 3.1% in a year
About the same pace as Montana (2%).
Show as a table
| January | Clinton | Montana |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $256,000 | $231,000 |
| 2018 | $272,000 | $245,000 |
| 2019 | $283,000 | $259,000 |
| 2020 | $301,000 | $274,000 |
| 2021 | $359,000 | $315,000 |
| 2022 | $458,000 | $402,000 |
| 2023 | $484,000 | $430,000 |
| 2024 | $487,000 | $443,000 |
| 2025 | $517,000 | $459,000 |
| 2026 | $536,000 | $463,000 |
| September 2026 | $541,000 | $467,000 |
A typical Clinton home worth $251K in October 2016 is worth about $541K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 5.2 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Clinton’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $245K short of a typical Clinton home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,690 a month here, $1,510 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Clinton’s typical property tax (0.80% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,690
Renters already here pay a median of $1,565.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Missoula, MT HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Property tax runs above the Montana norm
The median bill is $3,100 (Montana: $2,693), 0.80% of a home’s value a year, against 0.72% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Clinton
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Missoula, MT metro area, or Montana. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 96 | MT 95 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | MT 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 72 | MT 72 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | MT 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Clinton and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton | C | $541K | $387K | 0.80% | $1,690 |
Questions about the cost of living in Clinton
Is Clinton expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Clinton costs more than 73% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living. The typical home costs 5.2 years of the median household income of the Missoula, MT metro area ($75K).
How much does a house cost in Clinton?
About $541K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.1% in a year. The Montana typical home is $467K.
What salary do you need to live in Clinton?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $137,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,200 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $68,000.
How much is rent in Clinton?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,690 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,565 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Clinton?
The median bill is $3,100 a year, 0.80% of the median home value (Montana: $2,693, 0.72%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Clinton going up?
Yes: up 3.1% in the past year and 23.2% in five years, against 23.4% across Montana (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Clinton buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.