The 3 Best Assisted Living Facilities in Missoula, MT for 2023

Missoula, Montana’s second-largest city, rests in the western half of the state and is home to 74,822 people. According to U.S. Census data, roughly 13% of the population is at least 65 years of age. Though Missoula’s senior population is lower than average due to the presence of the University of Montana boosting the college-age population, the city appeals to older adults who enjoy mild summers and proximity to the state’s most highly ranked hospital.

Assisted living care is often the choice of aging adults ready to transition from living alone in their own homes to a more social and supportive environment. It’s both less expensive and allows for more personal independence than nursing home care. On average, seniors in Missoula pay $4,650 a month for assisted living care, a total that’s slightly higher than state and national averages.

The following guide examines assisted living care costs across Montana and in some nearby cities. There’s also a list of resources that can help Missoula seniors get the most out of retirement in the city, as well as an overview of Missoula’s particular benefits and drawbacks for the age group.

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services is the government agency responsible for licensing and overseeing the activity of long-term senior care facilities in the state. The state’s assisted living facilities are considered Category A, with nursing home facilities considered Category B and advanced memory care homes considered Category C.

• The overall cost of living in Missoula is 4.4% higher than the national average, but breaking down costs by category reveals that most of that cost increase is due to the price of housing, which is roughly 32% higher than the national average. Both health care and transportation costs are below average, which means that seniors in assisted living communities may find their specific costs to be lesser than those of homeowners or traditional renters.
• Tax rates are simultaneously a benefit and a drawback in this state. There’s no sales tax in Montana, and with the national average for such tax at 7.3%, Missoula seniors may see significant savings over time. However, the area’s income tax rate of 6.9% is slightly higher than the national average of 4.6% and can bite into pensions.
• Missoula’s weather is another double-edged sword. Summer in Missoula is extremely pleasant and suits seniors who prefer cool climates. Temperature highs range from 67 in May to 72 in September, peaking at 85 in July. On the other hand, Montana is known for exceptionally cold winters. Missoula’s average daytime lows are at or below freezing from October to March, with nighttime temperatures occasionally falling well below zero. The city sees an average of 40 inches of snow per year, much higher than the national average of 28.
• Crime in Missoula can be a mild concern. The city’s violent crime rate of 24.5 on a 100-point scale is slightly higher than the national average of 22.7. Property crime rates, though, are quite elevated at 63.1 for Missoula against the U.S. average rate of 35.4. However, as of 2022 crime data, property crime rates have been on a steady downward trend for years since peaking in 2015.
• According to U.S. News & World Report’s respected rankings of high-performing hospitals, Missoula’s Providence St. Patrick Hospital is the top medical facility in Montana. It gets particularly high marks for its lung surgery and urology care.

The average monthly cost of assisted living care in Missoula is $4,650, according to yearly data from Genworth Financial. Costs may vary depending on a specific facility’s array of services and amenities.   

Costs for assisted living in Montana and some nearby cities exist in a fairly narrow range. The national average cost for such care is $4,500, with the Montana state average slightly lower at $4,450. The state’s most populous city, Billings, is slightly less expensive than Missoula at $4,564 a month, and the third-largest city, Great Falls, reports the state’s lowest prices at $4,150 a month. Over the Idaho border, costs are somewhat similar. In Coeur d’Alene, seniors pay $4,675 a month for assisted living care, and in Lewiston, they spend $4,419 a month.

Assisted living is the cheapest long-term care option in Missoula, as Genworth reports no price data for adult day care facilities in the city. At $5,243 a month, in-home care and home health care costs represent a jump of almost $600 over those of assisted living. Nursing home care is nearly twice as expensive as assisted living care, with a semiprivate room in a skilled nursing facility averaging $9,125 a month. 

While many families use their own funds or personal assets to pay for assisted living, there are plenty of additional options to cover these costs. Some additional ways to finance assisted living costs include:

• Veterans Benefits
• Life Insurance Policy
• Long-Term Care Insurance
• Reverse Mortgage

For more information about different ways to finance assisted living, visit our Assisted Living in Montana page.