Grocery Costs in Montana
How much do groceries cost in Montana?
A family of four in Montana spends about $1,077 a month on groceries, $12,926 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts Montana right at the median state. Here is the full picture for Montana households, and how to come in under it. Montana sits right at the median state ($1,074 a month) for grocery costs.
A family of four in Montana spends about $1,077 a month on groceries, $12,926 a year, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator's food cost estimates. That puts Montana right at the median state. Here is the full picture for Montana households, and how to come in under it.
Monthly grocery costs in Montana by household
| Household | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Family of four (2 adults, 2 children) | $1,077 | $12,926 |
| Family of two (2 adults) | $675 | $8,097 |
| One adult | $368 | $4,417 |
| Per person, in a family of four | $269 | $3,232 |
MIT Living Wage Calculator food estimates. MIT builds its food figures from the USDA low cost food plan and adjusts them for price levels in each state, Montana included. For Montana, the figures cover food made and eaten at home.
How Montana compares
Montana sits right at the median state ($1,074 a month) for grocery costs. Over a year, a family of four in Montana spends about $40 more on groceries than the same family in the median state, which is real money in a Montana family budget: roughly a month of childcare in a cheaper state, or a solid start on an emergency fund. Food is labor, land and transport priced locally, which is why the Montana state line moves this number so much.
Grocery shopping across Big Sky distances
Distance shapes grocery shopping in Montana, where Albertsons and Smith's serve many towns, Walmart draws regional stock up trips, and Town and Country Foods matters in smaller communities that rely on a local store. Montana has no statewide sales tax, and groceries are exempt in that system, so families do not add state tax to food at home, though travel costs to reach a store can be the hidden expense. SNAP and WIC both run through the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, with WIC serving pregnant and postpartum women and children under five. At a $10.85 minimum wage, a long drive and a large cart often go together in a Montana food plan.
Budgeting by family size in Montana instead? Montana households can also start from the USDA food plan figures for a family of four and the rest of the family size tables, then run your real numbers in the grocery budget calculator. If your income is tight in Montana, check the maximum SNAP benefits by household size too.
Frequently asked questions
How much do groceries cost per month in Montana?
The MIT Living Wage Calculator puts food costs in Montana at $1,077 a month for a family of four (two adults and two children), $12,926 a year. In Montana, two adults come to $675 a month and one adult to $368 a month. The Montana figures cover food prepared and eaten at home, not restaurants.
How does Montana compare with other states?
Montana ranks 26 of 50 states for a family of four, right at the median state of $1,074 a month. The cheapest state in the MIT data is Texas at $948 a month and the most expensive is Hawaii at $1,319 a month; Montana comes in at $1,077 a month.
How can I spend less than the Montana figure?
Treat the Montana numbers as budget benchmarks, not a floor. For a Montana family, meal planning around store sales, cooking once and eating twice, and keeping a running pantry list routinely trim 10% or more. On Montana's family of four figure, 10% is about $108 a month, $1,296 a year. Our grocery budget calculator helps you compare your real Montana spend with this benchmark.
Keep exploring
Neighboring states in the alphabet: Missouri · Nebraska
All states: grocery costs by state and family size · Tools: Grocery budget calculator · Family budget planner
Source: MIT Living Wage Calculator (livingwage.mit.edu), food cost estimates by state and household size, retrieved 2026-10-18. For Montana, MIT starts from the USDA low cost food plan and adjusts for state price levels. The Montana figures are planning benchmarks for food at home, not a quote for any one store.