Photo: Benjamin Courteau · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Stevensville costs more to live in than 71% of U.S. towns
Up 1% in a year, 32% above the Montana typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Ravalli County, MT ($71K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across Ravalli County earn ($71K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 5.3 years of area income, and 42% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $617Ktypical home, 32% above the Montana typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,410a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 5.3 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$71K, Ravalli County income
- 18%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 42%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Montana: 45%Census 2020–24
- 29%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Stevensville
What’s behind Stevensville’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Stevensville is more affordable than 29% of U.S. towns. Home prices pull the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Montana: up 18.8% in five years, against 23.4% statewide (Zillow).
Up 18.8% in five years
Slower than Montana (23.4%).
Show as a table
| January | Stevensville | Montana |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $279,000 | $231,000 |
| 2018 | $300,000 | $245,000 |
| 2019 | $319,000 | $259,000 |
| 2020 | $337,000 | $274,000 |
| 2021 | $412,000 | $315,000 |
| 2022 | $555,000 | $402,000 |
| 2023 | $581,000 | $430,000 |
| 2024 | $593,000 | $443,000 |
| 2025 | $621,000 | $459,000 |
| 2026 | $619,000 | $463,000 |
| September 2026 | $617,000 | $467,000 |
A typical Stevensville home worth $274K in October 2016 is worth about $617K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 5.3 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Stevensville’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $325K short of a typical Stevensville home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,410 a month here, $2,090 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Stevensville’s typical property tax (0.51% 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 $1,410
Renters already here pay a median of $1,064, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Ravalli County, MT): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
4 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 4 new homes in Stevensville in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1.1 million to build. That's 1.9 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Montana (7.3). Over the past 10 years, Stevensville has permitted 68 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Stevensville gained 193 residents while 43 new homes were permitted: about 4.5 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across Montana: 2.4 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2025 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $654,000 |
| 2023 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $370,000 |
| 2021 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $4.5 million |
| 2020 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $3.6 million |
| 2019 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2018 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2017 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2016 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2015 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $879,000 |
| 2014 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $410,000 |
| 2013 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $865,000 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 5 | 1 | 4 | $713,000 |
| 2009 | 4 | 1 | 3 | $590,000 |
| 2008 | 5 | 2 | 3 | $809,000 |
| 2007 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2006 | 31 | 28 | 3 | $2.6 million |
| 2005 | 17 | 9 | 8 | $1.5 million |
| 2004 | 9 | 6 | 3 | $804,000 |
| 2003 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $832,000 |
| 2002 | 13 | 5 | 8 | $692,000 |
| 2001 | 29 | 9 | 20 | $1.1 million |
| 2000 | 24 | 11 | 13 | $1.3 million |
Stevensville's permit office didn't report to the Census in 2025, so the 2025 figures are Census estimates.
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Montana norm
The median bill is $1,931 (Montana: $2,693), 0.51% 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+”.
Stevensville 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stevensville | C | $617K | $377K | 0.51% | $1,410 |
Questions about the cost of living in Stevensville
Is Stevensville expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Stevensville costs more than 71% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living. The typical home costs 5.3 years of the median household income of Ravalli County, MT ($71K).
How much does a house cost in Stevensville?
About $617K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 0.9% in a year. The Montana typical home is $467K.
What salary do you need to live in Stevensville?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $150,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,500 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $56,000.
How much is rent in Stevensville?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,410 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,064 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Stevensville?
The median bill is $1,931 a year, 0.51% of the median home value (Montana: $2,693, 0.72%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Stevensville going up?
Barely: up 0.9% in the past year and 18.8% in five years, against 23.4% across Montana (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Stevensville 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. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits 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.