Montanan Featured in Business Insider for Discouraging Reason

I had a feeling we would see a story like this from a national news outlet eventually. 

Do you remember last year there was an essay in Business Insider from a woman who had moved to Bozeman? She shared her difficulties dating in Montana but also talked about how lucrative her lifestyle was because she saved money by moving from a big city to someplace less expensive. In her case, that was Bozeman. 

The essay was met with criticism, especially from Montanans. I remember when I read it I wondered if there would ever be an essay from a Montanan about their living situation. It looks like there is one now. 

READ MORE: Dear Colorado, How Does Montana Cope with Fame? 

Business Insider recently published an essay by a woman from Billings, Montana. Lonita Jensen explains she retired from a nursing career to help care for her grandchildren, so she's moved around the country to where her children live. But she can't afford to live where her children are (Dallas, Texas, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and Billings, Montana) so she moved to Ecuador, where her sister lives.  

We've covered multiple stories about the rising costs of living in Montana. The data to support this has indicated some pretty alarming trends. 

• Montana home insurance costs may be going up in 2024. 
• How many figures you need in your salary to afford a typical Montana home. 
• There are only 2 states where it's harder to buy a house than in Montana right now. 

The woman from Billings shared what she pays in Ecuador compared to what she would have to pay in Billings. The staggering difference is not a surprise ($750 vs $2400). Yet, it still seems very discouraging. And it's not that this hasn't happened in other places. But I suspect some Montanans thought it would never happen here.