City comparison
Billings, MT is about 125 miles (200 km) from Bozeman, MT in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 150 miles, or about 2 h 30 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Billings, MT to Bozeman, MT takes about 15 min, covering roughly 125 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Billings has a population of 117,093, vs 53,500 in Bozeman — about 2.2× larger by population. By land area, Billings covers about 46 sq mi vs 21 sq mi for Bozeman.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Billings | Bozeman | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,064/mo | $1,447/mo | 36.0% higher in Bozeman |
| Median home value | $285,300 | $546,100 | 91.4% higher in Bozeman |
| Median household income | $69,692 | $74,113 | 6.3% higher in Bozeman |
| Groceries index | 96.7 | 96.7 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 77.2 | 78.3 | 1.4% higher in Bozeman |
| Transportation index | 99.3 | 99.3 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 99.2 | 99.2 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Billings, you'd need $128,521 in Bozeman to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Billings, MT is about 22.2% cheaper overall than Bozeman, MT, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 76% higher in Bozeman than in Billings. If you earn $80,000 in Billings, you'd need about $102,817 in Bozeman to keep the same standard of living.