Is Billings cheaper than Roanoke?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Billings and Roanoke metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Billings or Roanoke?

Billings has the higher median household income — $77,770 versus $72,557 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 7% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Billings or Roanoke?

A paycheck stretches further in Billings. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $83,153 there versus $77,503 in Roanoke.

Which has cheaper rent, Billings or Roanoke?

Rents are close — $1,170/mo in the Billings metro versus $1,188/mo in Roanoke (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Billings vs Roanoke

Metro-area medians — Billings, MT Metro Area vs Roanoke, VA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Billings comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Billings and Roanoke cost about the same to live in, but Billings households earn about 7% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Billings.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Billings, MT

$58,071

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$62,091

real value after local prices

Roanoke, VA

$57,747

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$61,684

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Billings leaves you about $407/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Billings

Roanoke

Livability (CityLedger)

60/100

55/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

93.5

93.6

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$83,153

$77,503

Median household income

$77,770

$72,557

Median rent

$1,170/mo

$1,188/mo

Median home value

$383,900

$278,000

Unemployment

3.3%

2.6%

Bachelor's degree or higher

32.8%

31.8%

Average commute

20.8 min

22.2 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

48°F

58°F

Choose Billings for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute

Full Billings profile →

Choose Roanoke for

+ Median home value
+ Unemployment

Full Roanoke profile →

Billings vs Roanoke — frequently asked

Is Billings cheaper than Roanoke?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Billings and Roanoke metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Billings or Roanoke?: Billings has the higher median household income — $77,770 versus $72,557 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 7% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Billings or Roanoke?: A paycheck stretches further in Billings. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $83,153 there versus $77,503 in Roanoke.
Which has cheaper rent, Billings or Roanoke?: Rents are close — $1,170/mo in the Billings metro versus $1,188/mo in Roanoke (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).