Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $82K, rent takes 21.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,129/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new computer science teachers, postsecondaries typically earn — is $45K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,729/month. At HUD’s $1,129/month FMR, rent would take 41% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 16% below the national median — $82K here vs. $97K nationally.

Montana pays $82K median vs. the U.S. average of $97K — that’s -16%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97), the purchasing-power equivalent is $84K — below the national median.

The median is $81,560 a year. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $45,490, and experienced computer science teachers, postsecondaries can clear $163,930. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,172/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,129/month, which eats 21.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Montana has a Regional Price Parity of 97 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median computer science teachers, postsecondary salary is worth about $84,082 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.