Ski resorts and ski towns are fantastic places to spend a long wintry vacation. The beautiful scenery, the tourist-friendly shops and restaurants, and of course the challenging and exciting ski slopes make these towns the places to be during the chillier months.
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With all that said, many such ski towns can be rather expensive to live in throughout the year.
Recently, GOBankingRates analyzed America’s many ski towns to find which are the most expensive to actually live in. The cost of living in such cities can vary wildly, with the cheapest among them requiring nearly $60,000 annually and the most expensive necessitating a shocking $680,000 yearly. Curious which is which? Wondering whether you could live in a ski town year round? Keep reading to learn the 20 most expensive ski towns in America.
If skiing is not your thing, see the most affordable lake towns.
Key Findings
- Low populations: Most of America’s most expensive ski towns are notable for very small, intimate populations — 12 of the 20 locales listed have fewer than 10,000 residents.
- Bend, Oregon, shatters the population averages: With a population of 101,472, Bend has more than 10 times the citizenry of most of these cities.
- Sun Valley, Utah, is a retirement haven: The retirement-age population for most of America’s pricey ski towns hovers below 20%. Sun Valley, however, has a 65+ population percentage of 44.6%.
- Park City pays very well: Park City, Utah, the former home of the Sundance Film Festival, has a very high median household income level. While many of the towns listed below have median household incomes that range between $60,000 and $100,000, the median household income for Park City is $140,875.
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20. Kalispell, Montana
- Annual cost of living: $59,386
- Average home value: $557,934
- Average monthly mortgage: $3,121
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19. Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Annual cost of living: $62,710
- Average home value: $601,948
- Average monthly mortgage: $3,367
18. Big Bear Lake, California
- Annual cost of living: $63,398
- Average home value: $$568,542
- Average monthly mortgage: $3,181
17. Bend, Oregon
- Annual cost of living: $73,402
- Average home value: $749,496
- Average monthly mortgage: $4,193
16. Durango, Colorado
- Annual cost of living: $75,760
- Average home value: $793,076
- Average monthly mortgage: $4,437
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15. Bozeman, Montana
- Annual cost of living: $76,563
- Average home value: $799,719
- Average monthly mortgage: $4,474
14. Whitefish, Montana
- Annual cost of living: $83,661
- Average home value: $911,806
- Average monthly mortgage: $5,101
13. Truckee, California
- Annual cost of living: $96,561
- Average home value: $1,038,171
- Average monthly mortgage: $5,808
12. Mammoth Lakes, California
- Annual cost of living: $104,595
- Average home value: $1,157,452
- Average monthly mortgage: $6,475
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11. Breckenridge, Colorado
- Annual cost of living: $131,310
- Average home value: $1,621,594
- Average monthly mortgage: $9,072
10. Steamboat Springs, Colorado
- Annual cost of living: $132,141
- Average home value: $1,641,381
- Average monthly mortgage: $9,182
9. Crested Butte, Colorado
- Annual cost of living: $135,140
- Average home value: $1,680,088
- Average monthly mortgage: $9,399
8. Park City, Utah
- Annual cost of living: $152,433
- Average home value: $1,920,184
- Average monthly mortgage: $10,742
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7. Vail, Colorado
- Annual cost of living: $163,556
- Average home value: $2,091,429
- Average monthly mortgage: $11,700
6. Ketchum, Idaho
- Annual cost of living: $175,387
- Average home value: $2,271,809
- Average monthly mortgage: $12,709
5. Jackson, Wyoming
- Annual cost of living: $176,608
- Average home value: $2,235,146
- Average monthly mortgage: $12,504
4. Sun Valley, Idaho
- Annual cost of living: $219,364
- Average home value: $2,926,436
- Average monthly mortgage: $16,371
3. Big Sky, Montana
- Annual cost of living: $237,837
- Average home value: $3,199,812
- Average monthly mortgage: $17,901
2. Telluride, Colorado
- Annual cost of living: $318,589
- Average home value: $4,395,759
- Average monthly mortgage: $24,591
1. Aspen, Colorado
- Annual cost of living: $682,039
- Average home value: $9,812,290
- Average monthly mortgage: $54,892
Editor’s note: Photos are for representational purposes only and might not reflect the exact locations listed.
Methodology: GOBankingRates sourced ski towns from Travel + Leisure articles: “The 16 Best Ski Resorts for Families,” “This is the Most Expensive Ski Town in the US,” “This Uncrowded Ski Resort has Heated Lifts and Scenic Tram,” “This Small Town in Idaho is Known for Skiing,” “Your Guide to America’s Best Ski Towns,” “We Asked 9 Travel Experts Their Favorite Ski Destinations,” “How One Resort is Changing the Montana Ski Scene,” “This May Be Colorado’s Last Affordable Ski Town,” “This Ski Resort is a Hidden Gem in the American West” and “12 Ski Towns to Visit Even if You Don’t Ski.” To qualify for this study, the ski towns had to have data from all sources available. With the ski towns identified, the cost-of-living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces. The national average expenditures were sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. The average home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index, and the average mortgage was calculated using the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate from the Federal Reserve Economic Data (after a 10% down payment deduction). All data was collected on and is up to date as of Oct. 6, 2025.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: America’s 20 Most Expensive Ski Towns
