IDAGG said:
I don't know your economic status but one thing about the small towns up in this area of the country is that a lot of times there are not very many jobs and certainly not many good paying jobs. So it is either "bring your own money", live in a medium or larger sized city that has some economic opportunity, or adjust your standard of living downward. You mention that you are in health care, that might help as any town of any size has some health care jobs.
This is very true. Bozeman, Butte (to an extent), Helena, Missoula, Kalispell/Whitefish will all be VERY expensive to live in. The cost of housing in those areas is extremely high, and the cost of living is far greater than that of Texas. This is how I always phrase it- I pay almost $5 for a gallon of milk. 80/20 ground beef is near $6/lb.
Billings will be quite a bit cheaper, and actually has quite a bit going for it in the health field (3 hospitals, and 2 of them are HUGE complexes). Great Falls is also cheaper to live in, but will put you farther into western Montana (about 1-2 hours north of Helena, and a few hours from Glacier). It also has the Air Force Base, so there is always a decent economy there. While neither of these places are the prettiest parts of Montana, they are far more economical and practical for someone falling in the middle class to live in, while allowing for easy access to all the things people think of when they think "Montana".
Both are within 2 hours of skiing, lakes are nearby, national parks are fairly easy to access, Billings is the cheapest to fly out of in the state, BLM and BMA areas area always nearby for hunting, and both have a river running through them (Billings has the Yellowstone, Great Falls has the Missouri).
As previously state, Lewistown is a great place to look. Smaller town, but falls pretty much right in the middle of the state. I dont know about their housing costs, but their cost of living will be elevated from Billings and Great Falls.
While most small towns here always have a need for health care professionals, I would not recommend it. the turnover rate is astronomical, and the facilities are poorly run.
I live in Glendive. I would not suggest living here.